The second edition of the Kenya Travel Industry Business Awards (KeTIBA), organised by the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), brought together more than 350 stakeholders at Emara Ole Sereni for an evening that blended glamour with recognition of the country’s top performers in travel and hospitality.
As the sun dipped behind the acacia line of Nairobi National Park, guests arrived to a terrace glowing with gold light—a fitting backdrop for an industry celebrating resilience, innovation, and measurable progress. Tailored suits, evening gowns, and the soft hum of reunions set the tone for what has quickly become one of the most anticipated events in Kenya’s travel calendar.
Inside the ballroom, a carefully curated programme guided attendees from opening remarks to reflections on the year, culminating in a dinner that sparked animated discussions at every table. Delegates debated which airlines had improved most, which travel-tech firms had reshaped agency operations, and which hotels had outperformed expectations. The mood was equal parts festive and anticipatory as the ceremony prepared to unveil this year’s winners.
When the lights dimmed and the awards segment began, the focus shifted sharply to performance and impact. A total of 57 organisations, including airlines, hotels, resorts, travel agencies, insurance providers, digital platforms, and payment networks, were honoured for raising operational standards across Kenya’s evolving travel ecosystem. The awards underscored the sector’s continued transformation, driven by digitalisation, improved customer experience, operational efficiency, and expanding regional collaboration.
Kenya Airways emerged as one of the night’s most celebrated winners, securing Best International Airline and Best Regional Airline, affirming its strengthened reliability, customer service, and connectivity strategy across East Africa.
At the coast, PrideInn Hotels & Resorts recorded two major wins: PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort & Spa was named Best Conference Hotel, while PrideInn Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa took home Best Family Resort, highlighting the group’s growing foothold in both business and leisure travel.
In the travel management category, Hemingways Travel was crowned Best Travel Management Company, a recognition of its leadership in compliance, customer service excellence, and operational effectiveness, qualities increasingly vital in a competitive, technology-driven marketplace.
Yet amid corporate achievements, the evening’s most emotional moment came with the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Shafi Grewal Kaka (SG Kaka), honoured for more than three decades of service to Kenya’s travel and tourism industry. The standing ovation that followed spoke to the deep respect held for leaders whose careers have shaped the sector’s growth and professionalism.
This year’s ceremony also reflected Kenya’s expanding regional presence, with delegates from Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Dubai, and neighbouring markets in attendance, an indicator of the country’s growing influence in regional travel dynamics.
KeTIBA’s credibility continues to rest on its rigorous, four-stage process: self-nomination, peer evaluation, public voting, and independent auditing. KATA emphasised that this transparency not only strengthens industry trust but also encourages accountability and benchmarking against global best practices.
The diversity of this year’s categories offered a clear message: Kenya’s travel industry has grown into an interconnected ecosystem where airlines, agents, technology providers, hotels, financial services, and insurers all play indispensable roles in shaping customer journeys.
As the final winners were announced and celebrations spilled into the after-party, a quiet pride settled in the room—a shared acknowledgment of how far the sector has come and how determined it remains to keep rising. Despite the turbulence that global travel continues to face, industry leaders described KeTIBA 2025 as a barometer of transformation and a reminder that Kenya’s travel future is bright.
