Full Kenya Airways cabins to Joburg and Cape Town spark calls for extra frequencies
The corridor between East and Southern Africa is heating up, and the trade wants more seats on it. Delegates at the 16th Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) in Nairobi heard this week that improved air connectivity between Kenya and South Africa is already lifting two-way tourism flows, with operators now pressing airlines to add capacity before demand outstrips supply.
Shaheed Ebrahim, Director of Escape to the Cape, told the expo that direct services had fundamentally changed how the market behaves, and that Nairobi is increasingly functioning as a gateway for travellers from across the continent heading south. South Africa, he said, is seeing strong demand from African travellers, with a substantial share of inbound arrivals now originating within Africa itself and East Africa emerging as a serious source market.
"It seems to be, especially out of the East Africa market with the advent of Kenya Airways coming directly into South Africa, into Johannesburg and into Cape Town," Ebrahim said.
Kenya Airways currently flies direct to both Johannesburg and Cape Town, with Airlink also serving the route. Ebrahim judged existing capacity adequate for now but warned it could tighten quickly. His own Kenya Airways service south was full, which he suggested points towards a case for increased frequencies. For consultants, that is a practical warning: group space and preferred rates on this corridor should be secured early rather than assumed.
The connectivity story extends well beyond the two countries. Passengers from West Africa and elsewhere on the continent are using Nairobi as a transit point before continuing to South Africa, which lifts throughput through Kenya and strengthens the commercial case for the route. Multi-country African itineraries, long frustrated by awkward routings, are becoming genuinely sellable.
Cost, however, remains the industry's persistent headache. "The cost of travel has become expensive, especially the airlines and the jet fuel," Ebrahim noted, pointing to airfares, fuel prices and accommodation rates all squeezing traveller budgets.
Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer June Chepkemoi argued that the answer lies in opening up air access further, since greater competition and capacity are the most reliable mechanisms for bringing fares down. She identified air access as one of the single biggest constraints on tourism growth, alongside the need to improve the visitor experience on the ground and tackle lingering perceptions around safety in Kenya.
Chepkemoi also made a strong case for regional tourism circuits, urging Kenya to work more closely with neighbouring East African destinations so that visitors stay longer and spend more. Travellers arriving for wildlife, she said, should be able to combine safari with coastal and cultural experiences and then continue into countries such as Rwanda.
"Once you come, you need to be able to experience everything," she said, framing the circuit approach as the route to increasing East Africa's share of the global tourism market while handing clients a richer product.
Work within the East African Community to address aviation costs, including landing charges, could further improve the affordability of regional travel, she added.
The expo itself reflects the scale of commercial ambition. KTB expected around 10,000 delegates and 450 exhibitors, bringing together buyers, airlines and destination management companies, with more than 8,000 meetings booked through the event's digital platform. Those numbers signal an event firmly geared towards deal-making rather than display.
The direction of travel is clear enough. Intra-African tourism is maturing from an aspiration into a measurable revenue stream, and the agencies that invest now in multi-destination product knowledge, cross-border supplier relationships and regional contracting will be the ones positioned when capacity finally catches up with demand.
