Food-based travel experiences are set to take a more central role in Kenya’s tourism marketing strategy following a partnership between the Kenya Tourism Board and food technology platform EatOut Africa, as destinations across Africa reposition themselves to attract travellers seeking culture, wellness and immersive local experiences rather than conventional sightseeing itineraries alone.
The agreement, unveiled in Nairobi, marks a broader shift within Kenya’s tourism sector toward digitally driven destination marketing and curated experience-based travel products aligned with changing global visitor preferences.
Officials at the Kenya Tourism Board said the collaboration is intended to expand Kenya’s tourism identity beyond wildlife safaris and coastal holidays by integrating culinary experiences into the country’s wider travel offering, while also leveraging online discovery platforms to shape how tourists research, plan and book activities before arrival.
The strategy mirrors wider changes within the global tourism economy, where digital platforms, online reviews and social media driven recommendations are increasingly influencing visitor spending patterns and destination selection.
“Today’s visitor does not wait until arrival to decide where to dine or what experiences to enjoy; they research online, they compare reviews and explore digital content before making travel choices,” said June Chepkemei, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Tourism Board. “This partnership with EatOut Africa is especially important because it responds to how modern travellers actually make decisions today.”
The tourism board said culinary tourism is being incorporated into a wider effort to build more diversified tourism products capable of extending visitor stays and dispersing tourism spending across hospitality operators, farmers, transport providers and cultural enterprises.
Officials noted that food, agriculture and storytelling are increasingly being used internationally to strengthen destination branding, particularly in markets where travellers are seeking authenticity and direct engagement with local communities and production systems.
“Modern travellers want more than just a seat at a restaurant; they want to know the story behind their food,” said Chepkemei. “Products like tea and coffee are some of Kenya’s most celebrated exports, and this partnership will put them at the forefront of our tourism strategy.”
Under the arrangement, the two organisations plan to develop curated culinary tourism experiences tied to Kenya’s agricultural and hospitality sectors, with proposals ranging from tea farm visits and coffee roasting tours to cooking classes led by local chefs specialising in Swahili and contemporary Kenyan cuisine.
Other products under consideration include chef’s table dining events, guided street food tours in Nairobi, picnic experiences inside Nairobi National Park and dhow dinner cruises along the coast in Mombasa, reflecting a growing effort within the sector to package lifestyle and leisure experiences into tourism itineraries.
EatOut Africa, which operates a digital restaurant discovery and booking platform, said the partnership would broaden its role from restaurant listings into destination-linked travel experiences accessible through Kenya’s tourism ecosystem online.
The company said its platform has facilitated millions of dining interactions across Nairobi over time, giving it access to consumer behaviour trends and travel-linked dining demand that could support the rollout of experience-led tourism products.
“This partnership with the Kenya Tourism Board will allow us to extend our products to operators offering unique culinary experiences while showcasing the very best of Kenya’s growing food scene,” said Lorenzo Lorenze, General Manager of EatOut Africa.
The experiences developed under the collaboration are expected to be integrated into platforms linked to the Magical Kenya digital ecosystem, as tourism operators increasingly shift toward online booking, personalised travel planning and digitally curated visitor journeys.
Tourism officials said the initiative is also intended to raise visibility for local hospitality businesses and position Kenya more competitively within the rapidly expanding global culinary tourism segment, where destinations are using food, heritage and culture to capture higher-spending experiential travellers.
