Kenya’s hotel and catering industry has raised serious concerns about aviation policies it says are strangling the country’s tourism numbers, with operators calling for an urgent rethink of regulations that cap the number of airlines and weekly flights permitted to land in the country. The alarm was sounded at the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Annual Symposium, held in the coastal town of Malindi.
Kenya welcomed 2.7 million tourists in 2025 — a figure that, while notable, fell well short of the ambitious 5 million visitor target the industry had set its sights on. According to hotel operators attending the symposium, the shortfall is not down to any shortage of global interest in Kenya as a destination, but rather to aviation rules that restrict how many carriers and how many flights can operate routes into the country each week.
KAHC chairperson Christopher Musau argued that loosening these restrictions would give Kenya’s tourism sector the breathing room it needs to grow. He pointed to the country’s strong competitive advantages and urged the government to back that up with infrastructure improvements on the ground — specifically by extending runways at the Malindi and Diani airstrips and upgrading the road networks that connect key tourism corridors.
Tourism Principal Secretary Julius Bitok acknowledged the industry’s frustrations and signalled that the Kenya Kwanza administration was willing to take a fresh look at the limits placed on airline operations and flight frequencies. He was measured in his response, however, making clear that any policy changes would need to carefully account for “airport capacities, security considerations and other national interests” before being rolled out.
Bitok also turned the challenge back on the private sector. He posed a direct question to operators gathered at the symposium: “If I convince the Government to create a more enabling aviation environment by opening up our skies, will the industry be ready?” The remark served as a pointed reminder that government reforms alone will not be enough — the hospitality sector must scale up its capacity and raise its service standards to match any increase in visitor volumes.
The PS took time to map out the full breadth of Kenya’s tourism offering, citing wildlife, national parks, Indian Ocean beaches, and the growing MICE sector — meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions — as pillars capable of driving arrivals far beyond current levels. He urged players across the hospitality industry to deepen investment in staff training, create more opportunities for youth employment, and ensure fair labour practices are upheld throughout the sector.
With Kenya still well short of its 5 million tourist target, the pressure is building on both government and industry to move beyond words. Whether aviation liberalisation will be the catalyst that unlocks the country’s full tourism potential remains to be seen, but the message from Malindi is unambiguous: the skies over Kenya need to open wider.
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