New park fees killing our business, say tour operators

Tourism CS Rebecca Miano. [File, Standard]

Tourism industry stakeholders have warned that Kenya risks losing visitors to competing African destinations due to an increase in park fees.

In a petition to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, tour operators say the new prices are eroding Kenya's advantage in a region.

They say that unless the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) fees are reviewed and the new 8.5 per cent gateway surcharge scrapped, the country could lose a growing share of international travellers especially to neighbouring countries.

"Last year, 20 to 30 per cent of travel into East Africa shifted to other countries. If a safari package jumps from about Sh650,000 to nearly Sh800,000 because of surcharges, travellers will choose another country," said Sike Mulwa.

Nairobi National Park entry fee rose from about Sh5,200 to Sh10,400, while other major parks climbed from roughly Sh13,000 to more than Sh26,000.

Operators say the timing and scale of the increments have destabilised long-term safari planning.

"If I have clients booked for November, 2026, they've already paid deposits. If KWS raises fees overnight, I cannot reprice the client. We absorb the loss. We are killing the product before it grows," said Mulwa.

The operators also accuse KWS of introducing an un-gazetted 8.5 per cent surcharge through its pay system, which is not receipted.

"Within a week, a high-volume operator can lose a substantial portion of their margin," Mulwa said.