Kenya has moved to reassure visitors and the international tourism industry following a reported case of Ebola involving a patient who travelled to and arrived in the country.
Speaking at the official opening of the 16th edition of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) in Nairobi, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Rebecca Miano, said the government is working with the Ministry of Health to strengthen precautionary measures and maintain Kenya’s status as a safe destination.
“The Ministry is well aware of the reported case of an Ebola patient who travelled and arrived in the country,” Miano said.
She said the government had reviewed the Ministry of Health’s statement on the case and had “reasons to consider this an isolated case”.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Health to activate additional precautions to ensure our country remains a safe destination for visitors,” she added.
Miano also highlighted Kenya’s tourism resilience and crisis-management capacity, pointing to the country’s fully-fledged resilience and crisis management centre for tourism located at Kenyatta University.
“At this particular time, no effort and vigilance will be spared to ensure that Kenya continues to remain a safe destination,” she said.
Her comments came as Kenya opened MKTE 2026, bringing together tourism stakeholders from more than 40 countries.
According to Miano, this year’s edition has attracted more than 10,000 delegates, upwards of 250 vetted international buyers and more than 450 exhibitors, making it the largest edition of the expo to date.
The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya recorded 2.7 million international visitors last year, while domestic tourism reached approximately 5.2 million bed nights. The country is targeting 5.5 million international visitors by 2028.
Miano said the government’s tourism agenda includes continued investment in destination marketing, infrastructure, connectivity, product development and policy reform.
She also highlighted Kenya’s electronic travel authorization system and the removal of key administrative barriers along the visitor journey, while calling for greater attention to digital barriers affecting how travellers discover and experience destinations.
Artificial intelligence and data analytics, she said, can help destinations identify emerging markets, personalise marketing, anticipate demand, improve services and manage protected areas more effectively.
Miano also stressed that the digital transformation of tourism should benefit smaller players across the sector, including county-based small tour operators and community conservancies.
The 16th edition of MKTE is being held under the theme of digital transformation and artificial intelligence shaping the future of tourism.
Miano described the expo as having evolved from a modest exhibition into a major tourism marketplace connecting destinations with markets, businesses with buyers and investors with opportunities.
She officially declared the Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2026 open at the conclusion of her address.
