Kenya eyes part of Sh300tr Africa-US tourist market

The first batch of travelers that used the Electronic Travel Authorization system to come to Kenya without Visa queue for scrutiny at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on January 05,2024. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Kenya is targeting to tap the potential of the Sh300 trillion African-American tourism market through a new plan that was recently launched in Nairobi.

The initiative dubbed "call to action" by Traverze Culture founder and chief executive Ms Kea Wakesho Simmons from Charleston, US, seeks to reconnect African Americans with their African cultural heritage through various activities such as naming ceremonies and cultural adoption.

The initiative targets to bring between 3,000 to 5,000 visitors to Kenya this year to invest, and settle in a new city dubbed the Gitu Freedom Estate in Thika, Kiambu County, under the auspices of The Journey Back to Eden.

The estate will offer a modern African living experience for the African-American returnees and Kenyans.

The group is seeking to entice African Americans to retrace their African roots. Speaking during a tour of the Mombasa Old Town by a group of African-Americans, Ms Simmons, said the trip has acted as an eye-opener for many visitors who plan to invest in various sectors of the Kenyan economy such as real estate and the hospitality industries.

"We shall work with both the public and private sectors to realise the dream of bringing to Kenya 3,000 visitors in 2024," said Ms Simmons.

Foreign investment

Simmons was accompanied by US tourists and investors Michael Wright, Troy Batiste, and Ms Tecia Liocola among others, who expressed their interest in investing in Kenya.

The team has lauded visa-free arrangements by the government, starting this month, saying it will boost tourism and foreign investment.

Wright said he was interested in extending his manufacturing and export and import business into Kenya citing a good investment climate and hospitable people.

"I am visiting Kenya for the second time and I am planning to extend my business to this country because of the ease of doing business," he said.

During their 12-day visit to Kenya, the group toured various tourism and cultural spots like Diani Beach, Old Town in Mombasa, Nairobi National Park, the Nubian community in Kibra, and the upcoming Gitu Freedom Estate.

Traverze Culture also organised a call to action event and the Noir Fashion Week at Two Rivers, Nairobi where various African-themed designs were displayed by Kenyans and the US Diaspora.

According to US statistics, the black community has a population of more than 40 million people. In 2022, more than 200,000 Americans visited Kenya.