Kenya’s tourism story has long been defined by our extraordinary wildlife, beaches and culture. These remain powerful attractions, but as we pursue our ambition of reaching 5.5 million international visitors by 2028, Kenya is looking beyond traditional leisure tourism to identify the next engines of growth.
One opportunity clearly stands out, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE).
Globally, MICE has become an important driver of tourism and wider economic activity. According to the International Congress and Convention Association, more than 11,000 international meetings were held globally in 2024.
The exhibitions industry on the other hand illustrates the scale even more clearly.
According to UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, exhibitions generated approximately $150 billion in direct spending in 2024, attracted 318 million visitors and supported 1.8 million direct jobs and 4.3 million jobs in total.
These numbers matter to tourism because the value of a delegate extends far beyond the conference room. A visitor attending a three-day event needs accommodation, transport, food and other services.
Many also extend their stays, experience local attractions and return later for leisure. MICE therefore creates an opportunity to grow arrivals, bed nights, visitor spending and repeat travel simultaneously.
Destinations are already demonstrating what is possible, Singapore, for example, recorded $2.3 billion in MICE tourism receipts in 2025, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. It also hosted 156 international association meetings, an eight percent increase year-on-year.
These gains demonstrate how deliberately developing business events can strengthen a destination’s tourism economy.
For Kenya, the opportunity comes at an important moment, we are already building the infrastructure needed to compete for larger international events. For many years, the Kenyatta International Convention Centre has been a cornerstone of Kenya’s conference industry and one of the region’s established convention facilities.
It has enabled Nairobi to host major international, regional and diplomatic meetings while connecting delegates to the city’s wider tourism offering.
Today, that capacity is expanding, the private sector continues to invest in hotels and hospitality properties with modern conference and meeting facilities. This is important because Kenya’s MICE proposition cannot depend on a single venue. It must be an ecosystem bringing together hotels, convention facilities, airlines, restaurants, destination management companies, tour operators and attractions.
Government investment is also changing the scale of what Kenya can offer. The Bomas International Convention Complex, currently under development, is expected to significantly expand the country’s capacity to host large-scale international conferences, exhibitions and events.
With major convention spaces, additional halls and numerous meeting and breakout rooms, the facility will enable Kenya to pursue events requiring capacities beyond those currently available.
The government is also taking a more deliberate approach to attracting international events, with the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife working to identify, bid for and secure major conferences and other business events for the country.
MICE is increasingly being positioned as a strategic component of Kenya’s broader effort to reach 5.5 million international visitors by 2028, bringing together public resources and private-sector partnerships to strengthen the country’s proposition to international event organisers.
But infrastructure alone will not win the business, we must become more deliberate in identifying the right events, bidding competitively for them, packaging the destination and creating experiences that encourage delegates to stay longer.
The Kenya Tourism Board will continue to position Kenya as a place where people meet, connect and experience. A conference in Nairobi can extend into a wildlife experience in the Maasai Mara, a coastal holiday, a cultural encounter, a culinary experience or an adventure across one of our many tourism circuits.
The 16th Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) provides a timely platform for this ambition. As we bring together international buyers and Kenya’s tourism industry, our objective extends beyond selling leisure excursions. We are also using these relationships to open conversations around conferences, exhibitions, incentive programmes and corporate events that can bring more visitors to Kenya.
If we are serious about reaching 5.5 million international visitors, MICE must be part of the equation. Kenya has the connectivity, experiences, growing hospitality investment and expanding convention infrastructure to strengthen its position in this market.
Our task now is to turn that potential into sustained international business.