East Africa Revives Joint Tourism Marketing Efforts

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East Africa is revitalizing plans to collaboratively market the region’s tourism, ending a decade-long rivalry among member states. This initiative builds on the recent East African Regional Tourism Expo (EARTE) and the Magical Kenya Tourism Expo (MKTE), where countries agreed to enhance cooperation and implement an integrated tourism marketing strategy to boost competitiveness, attract tourists, and increase revenue.
Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda are spearheading this effort under the new East African brand “Visit East Africa – Feel the Vibe,” launched during the regional expo in Nairobi. This initiative aims to promote the region as a unified investment and travel hub.
However, rivalry continues, particularly between Kenya and Tanzania, the two primary safari and beach destinations. Both countries share the annual wildebeest migration between the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti, a recognized natural wonder. Tanzania has been leveraging Kenya’s higher costs for safari experiences to attract visitors to its own destinations.
The region also faces stiff competition from other Sub-Saharan African blocs, which exploit East Africa’s lengthy business procedures, insecurity, and inadequate infrastructure to enhance their competitiveness. According to the World Economic Forum, East African countries like Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi lag behind tourism leaders like Seychelles, Mauritius, and South Africa.
Under the renewed marketing strategy, the East African Community (EAC) aims to attract over 14 million international tourists annually by 2025, up from 7.2 million in 2019. Kenya is targeting 5.5 million arrivals and $6.3 billion in tourism earnings by 2028.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has launched a strategic marketing campaign involving social media influencers to elevate Kenya’s visibility both globally and within the EAC market. KTB CEO June Chepkemei emphasized the region’s potential for growth through strategic marketing and regional integration.
The EAC tourism brand aims to highlight diverse, multi-country itineraries that showcase the region’s unique attractions, from Nairobi and Mt. Kenya to the Maasai Mara and the Indian Ocean coast. The East African Business Council (EABC) supports the marketing of the region as a single destination, aligning with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).