Kenya leads push on ‘data–driven’ Toolkit for Sustainable Tourism

 

 

Kenya is reinforcing its tourism data to accurately measure the sector’s post -COVID-19 recovery and its direct contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which reached more than 7% in 2024 and a record KES1.2 trillion to the national economy in revenue earnings. The revival of these detailed accounts, or Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), is crucial as the sector seeks to track growth beyond 2019 and support over 1.7 million jobs, the industry had as of last year.

 

Speaking during the 4th Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference and Expo (GTRDCE) in Nairobi, Bonface Barasa, the Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for Economic Planning, noted that a detailed TSA, first mooted 7 years ago, would give the true measure and value of the country’s tourism contribution to the national GDP.

 

It is an idea that was first announced in 2019 to scale the exact contribution of tourism to the country’s wealth, and was expected to determine the value tourists add to tourism-related sectors, their spending patterns, and jobs created as a result.

 

This is part of the wider plan by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, which is hoping to employ in integrating robust tourism resilience mechanisms into national development frameworks, according to the ministry’s Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who called for a resilience fund and structured financing frameworks to support African countries withstand shocks, particularly in more vulnerable destinations heavily reliant on tourism.

 

“Africa cannot afford to build tourism growth on foundations of hope and reactive responses. We must embed resilience into our policy architecture, infrastructure investments, workforce training, and community protection systems,” she said. “This requires predictable and accessible financing mechanisms that protect vulnerable destinations before crises occur,” said Miano.

 

The Cabinet Secretary highlighted tourism’s role not only as a revenue-generating sector, but also as a critical employment platform and community development engine that requires systematic protection from external shocks.

 

“When tourism collapses under crisis, it is not just visitor numbers that fall. It is workers’ salaries, families’ and small businesses’ survival, and entire communities’ dignity,” she added. “Our responsibility as leaders is to ensure these vulnerabilities are addressed before disasters strike, not after.”

 

A Tourism Satellite Account is a standardized statistical framework meant to measure the direct economic impact of tourism on a national economy, while bridging visitor expenditure with industry supply, providing key metrics like Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA) and Tourism Direct Gross Domestic Product (TDGDP).

 

According to UN Tourism’s latest World Tourism Barometer, the world recorded an estimated 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals in 2025 alone, almost 60 million more than the previous year. Africa registered the strongest growth rate of any region with an 8% increase in arrivals.

 

The three-day conference, running under the theme “Tourism Resilience in Action: From Crisis Response to Impactful Transformation,” brings together over 400 delegates and 40 expert speakers from across the world to advance practical solutions for crisis-proof tourism systems.

 

The conference coincides with the official United Nations observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17, marking the first time the UN-designated commemoration is being celebrated on African soil.

 

On his part, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett who is the champion of the UN resolution establishing Global Tourism Resilience Day said the conference was founded on a transformative realization that tourism needed more than promotion and needed protection.

 

He noted that global consultations had revealed a shared vulnerability across destinations worldwide, underscoring that resilience is now the new currency for tourism destinations seeking stability and competitiveness.

 

“Resilience is the new currency for destinations, in an era of climate shocks, economic volatility, digital disruption and geopolitical uncertainty, destinations that invest in systems, partnerships and preparedness will be the ones that endure and thrive,” he said.

 

Bartlett added that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) has evolved into a collective global think tank, a dynamic network of centres, universities, experts, private sector partners, multilateral institutions and governments, working collaboratively to ensure resilience becomes the foundation of global tourism development, not an afterthought.

 

He further observed that Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean share exposure to climate risks, external market shifts, and digital vulnerabilities, but also possess shared strengths, including strong communities, innovation under pressure, and a proven capacity to rebuild.

 

Addressing emerging threats, he emphasized that the tourism sector must urgently confront risks such as cyberattacks, misinformation, and disinformation, which can destabilize destinations within hours.

 

“Emerging threats such as cyberattacks, digital misinformation, and disinformation can disrupt travel flows and damage destination reputations in real time. The integration of artificial intelligence, advanced data systems, cybersecurity frameworks, and enhanced connectivity is no longer optional; it is critical for competitiveness, protection, and the long-term sustainability of the sector,” he said.

 

The summit builds on the groundwork laid by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre- Eastern Africa, hosted at Kenyatta University, which serves 14 countries in the region, including Kenya, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.

 

The summit is poised to deliver a landmark ‘Resilience in Action’ Report, unveiling a sophisticated suite of new measurement indicators designed to standardize global resilience metrics. Beyond data, the forum will facilitate high-level, cross-sector partnerships essential for future-proofing the industry against evolving global threats. These strategic outcomes are set to be formalized through the adoption of the ‘Nairobi Declaration on Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management’, establishing a new international standard for the sector.