SA Tourism is placing local tourism enterprises at the centre of its destination marketing efforts at the 16th Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) in Nairobi, as visitor arrivals from Kenya continue to show steady growth. The tourism authority is leading a delegation of 20 South African tourism businesses to the expo, held from 6 to 8 October at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi. Working alongside the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB), the delegation is showcasing South Africa’s leisure, business events and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) offerings while creating new market access opportunities for small and emerging tourism businesses. The delegation has grown from 17 businesses that participated in MKTE in 2025, reflecting SA Tourism’s commitment to strengthening its presence in East Africa through deeper trade partnerships, increased participation by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and a stronger focus on generating measurable commercial outcomes. Turning tourism growth into business opportunities The expanded presence comes against a backdrop of encouraging growth in arrivals from Kenya and across the African continent. Between January and August 2026, South Africa welcomed 36,497 visitors from Kenya, representing a 7.7% increase compared with the same period in 2025. During the same period, arrivals from African markets reached 6,001,535, an increase of 13.4% year-on-year. Total international tourist arrivals stood at 7,581,455, marking an 11.7% increase. Kenya remains one of South Africa’s most important source markets in East Africa, supported by direct air connectivity, growing economic ties and long-standing travel trade relationships. SA Tourism believes the market offers significant potential for further growth as more East African travellers seek leisure, business and conference experiences across the continent. At MKTE, the organisation aims to strengthen relationships with tour operators, travel agents, wholesalers and destination management companies that influence travel decisions and package tourism products for consumers throughout East Africa. The objective is not only to increase awareness of South Africa as a destination but also to ensure that South African tourism products are more visible, more accessible and easier to book through regional travel distribution channels. South Africa’s tourism offering continues to enjoy international recognition. At the 2026 World Travel Awards Africa and Indian Ocean programme, South African destinations, tourism businesses and aviation partners secured 19 awards, including honours for Cape Town, Durban ICC and FlySafair. Tourism officials say such recognition reinforces the country’s reputation as a leading destination for both leisure and business travel. Market access drives transformation A central feature of this year’s programme is the increased representation of small and emerging tourism enterprises. Of the 20 South African businesses participating in MKTE, 14 are MSMEs, compared with 10 MSMEs among the 17 businesses that attended the event last year. This means MSMEs now make up 70% of the South African delegation. The increase reflects SA Tourism’s broader transformation agenda, which seeks to ensure that the benefits of tourism growth are shared more widely across the sector. For many smaller businesses, international trade exhibitions provide a rare opportunity to engage directly with influential buyers, negotiate inclusion in travel itineraries and establish relationships that can generate business long after the event has concluded. “Kenya is showing positive year-to-date growth, and that creates a real opportunity for our tourism businesses,” said Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional General Manager: Africa at SA Tourism. “South African tourism products continue to earn recognition among the best on the continent, and MKTE gives us the opportunity to connect those world-class experiences directly with the buyers and distribution partners shaping travel decisions across East Africa. Our goal is to convert interest in South Africa into stronger distribution, more bookable tourism products and sustainable business opportunities for tourism businesses across our country.” Mahlaba said smaller tourism operators often benefit significantly from direct exposure to international buyers. “For a smaller tourism business, access to the right buyer can open up an entirely new market,” she said. “Our role is to help ensure promising South African tourism products have a fair opportunity to access regional buyers, secure itinerary inclusion and grow beyond their traditional markets.” Building relationships beyond the exhibition floor SA Tourism is extending its engagement beyond the official expo programme through a series of targeted networking activities. On 7 October, the organisation hosted a networking dinner attended by approximately 100 travel trade professionals, MICE specialists and corporate travel stakeholders. The event provided an additional platform for relationship building and business discussions outside the formal exhibition environment. The engagement programme will continue beyond the three-day expo. On 9 October, participating South African tourism businesses are scheduled to take part in focused trade engagements with leading travel agents in Nairobi, allowing them to deepen conversations initiated during the exhibition and explore commercial opportunities in greater detail. Measuring success through outcomes SA Tourism says it is increasingly focused on evaluating the quality of business generated through trade exhibitions rather than simply measuring participation levels. The organisation will track buyer engagements, meetings held, qualified sales opportunities, agreed follow-up actions and post-event progress to assess the longer-term value generated through MKTE. The aim is to determine whether interactions at the expo translate into stronger distribution networks, itinerary inclusion, increased market access and, where possible, confirmed business opportunities for participating tourism enterprises. Africa remains at the heart of growth As Africa continues to account for the majority of South Africa’s international tourist arrivals, strengthening intra-African tourism remains a strategic priority. SA Tourism believes closer regional cooperation, stronger trade relationships and improved market access can unlock significant growth opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses across the continent. “Africa already accounts for the majority of South Africa’s international tourist arrivals, but there is still significant room to grow travel between African markets,” Mahlaba said. “Improving access, strengthening trade partnerships and making more South African tourism products easy to package and book are central to unlocking that opportunity.” Trade buyers and tourism industry stakeholders attending MKTE can visit the SA Tourism marketplace at Stand D11 at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi. Through its expanded participation, SA Tourism hopes to convert growing interest from the Kenyan market into sustained business growth for South Africa’s tourism sector and greater opportunities for emerging enterprises. ©Higher Education Media Services. SubscribeRead More
South African Tourism Expands Kenya Presence as Visitor Numbers Rise
