The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has partnered with Emirates Holidays in a move aimed at helping Kenyan travel agents capture a larger share of the country’s growing outbound travel market.
The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will strengthen travel agents’ access to international holiday products, destination information, training and commercial opportunities, as Kenyan travellers increasingly look beyond traditional destinations.
The partnership comes at a time of sustained growth in Kenya’s international travel market. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), international visitor arrivals rose by 6.2 per cent to 2.55 million in 2025, from 2.40 million in 2024. Holiday travel accounted for 47.8 per cent of arrivals, while business travel represented 25.2 per cent, highlighting the size of the market available to travel agents beyond traditional ticketing services.
For travel agents, the growth presents an opportunity to move beyond conventional ticketing and tap into the higher-value holiday and leisure segment through packaged international travel products.
KATA Chairman Dr. Joseph Kithitu said the agreement was part of efforts to strengthen the commercial capacity of travel agencies and give them greater access to the products they sell.
“These are the right steps to business maturity,” Dr. Kithitu said, adding that the partnership would put Kenyan travel agents closer to the product, destinations and opportunities.
He said outbound travel was becoming an increasingly important component of members’ businesses, making it necessary for agents to have the knowledge, relationships and confidence required to sell beyond traditional offerings.
The MoU will provide for product training, destination updates, exclusive promotions and familiarisation experiences, enabling KATA members to deepen their knowledge of international destinations and develop more diversified travel propositions for their customers.
The partnership also gives Emirates Holidays an expanded channel through which to engage Kenya’s travel trade. KATA represents a network of more than 300 travel agencies across the country.
The commercial opportunity is also supported by Emirates’ growing connectivity between Kenya and international markets. Emirates has operated in Kenya for more than 30 years and has carried more than 6.6 million passengers to and from the country on more than 34,250 flights since launching its Nairobi service in 1995.
In July, Emirates increased its Nairobi operation to three daily flights, giving it 21 weekly services between Nairobi and Dubai and connecting Kenyan travellers to a global network of close to 150 destinations.
The expanded connectivity provides travel agents with a broader platform from which to sell international leisure, business and holiday products, particularly through Dubai as a gateway to destinations across Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
Christophe Leloup, Emirates Country Manager, and Maitha Albutehi, Business Development Manager, Emirates Holidays, attended the signing, with the airline and holiday business highlighting the partnership as an opportunity to deepen engagement with Kenya’s travel trade and bring its holiday portfolio closer to the market.
The development comes as Kenya’s wider tourism sector continues to expand. The country generated about Sh500 billion in tourism earnings in 2025, with total travel estimated at 7.9 million domestic and international travellers, including 2.7 million international visitors.
While much of Kenya’s tourism strategy focuses on attracting international visitors, the growth in outbound travel presents an additional commercial opportunity for travel agencies, particularly as consumers seek packaged holidays, destination experiences and greater convenience when travelling abroad.
For KATA, the Emirates Holidays agreement is therefore part of a broader strategy to equip agents with stronger product knowledge and industry relationships while opening new revenue opportunities.
The Association said it would continue pursuing partnerships that strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of Kenyan travel agents and create new pathways for growth across the travel industry.
