Kenya Tourism Board and EatOut Africa Partner to Put Kenyan Food on the Global Tourism Map

Kenya's food is now officially part of the tourism strategy — and EatOut Africa is how the world will find it

On Thursday 26 May 2026, two of Kenya's most significant institutions in tourism and food discovery signed a partnership that quietly changes the way Kenya will be experienced by visitors from this point forward. The Kenya Tourism Board and EatOut Africa announced a strategic collaboration aimed at positioning Kenya as Africa's leading culinary tourism destination — integrating food discovery, digital technology and authentic local experiences into the broader Magical Kenya identity.

It is a partnership that reflects something the Kenyan food and hospitality industry has known for years: that the country's culinary story is one of its most compelling and most underutilised tourism assets. That story is now officially part of the strategy.

Why this partnership exists — and why now

Kenya's tourism offering has diversified significantly over the past decade. Wildlife safaris, adventure travel, cultural experiences, wellness retreats — the Magical Kenya brand has deliberately expanded beyond the game drive. Culinary tourism is the next frontier, and the timing is deliberate.

KTB CEO Chepkemei was direct about the logic: "As a destination, we have been intentionally expanding the Magical Kenya experience beyond traditional tourism offerings by integrating culture, creativity, wellness, adventure, and now culinary discovery into our destination identity."

The digital dimension is equally central. Modern travellers do not arrive and then decide where to eat. They research online, compare reviews, watch content and make decisions before they board the plane. 

"Today's visitor does not wait until arrival to decide where to dine or what experiences to enjoy," said Chepkemei. A partnership that integrates EatOut Africa's digital infrastructure with Kenya Tourism Board's global reach addresses that behaviour directly — making Kenya's culinary experiences discoverable, bookable and structured for the international visitor at the planning stage.

What EatOut Africa brings to the table

EatOut Africa is one of Kenya's most established food and restaurant discovery platforms — connecting millions of diners with curated hospitality and culinary experiences across the country. The platform has become the reference point for restaurant discovery, reservations, reviews and customer engagement in Kenya, shaping dining decisions for both locals and visitors across Nairobi and beyond.

EatOut Africa General Manager Lorenze framed the opportunity clearly: "We currently work with some of the best restaurants in Nairobi, and over the years our platform has been used by millions of diners to discover and book restaurants across the city. 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."

The extension beyond restaurants is the significant development here. The partnership is not simply about making it easier to book a table in Nairobi. It is about building a structured, discoverable culinary tourism product that reaches into Kenya's agricultural heritage, its coastal food culture, its street food scene and its fine dining landscape simultaneously.

The experiences: what is actually being built

The partnership will curate and promote a set of culinary experiences that cover the full range of what Kenya's food story has to offer. These include:

Tea farm and coffee roastery tours showcasing Kenya's globally renowned agricultural heritage — putting the visitor at the source of two of the country's most celebrated and widely consumed exports.

Interactive cooking and educational classes led by local culinary artists, focusing on Swahili cuisine and contemporary Kenyan cooking — giving visitors a hands-on relationship with the food rather than simply a seat at the table.

Exclusive chef's table experiences at Kenya's most compelling restaurants — the kind of curated access that has become one of the most sought-after formats in global culinary tourism.

Curated culinary adventures including picnics at Nairobi National Park and Tamarind Dhow dinners on the Mombasa coast — combining Kenya's natural landscape with its food culture in ways that are genuinely original.

Guided influencer-led street food tours through Nairobi's most vibrant food corridors — bringing the city's informal food culture to an international audience that has historically only accessed it through luck rather than design.

KTB CEO Chepkemei summarised the ambition behind the experiential portfolio: "Modern travellers want more than just a seat at a restaurant — they want to know the story behind their food. By partnering with EatOut, we are moving beyond traditional dining to highlight our incredible farm-to-table journey. Products like tea and coffee are Kenya's some of the largest and most celebrated exports, and this partnership will put them at the forefront of our tourism strategy, allowing visitors to experience the source of these world-class commodities firsthand."

Where to access the experiences

All culinary experiences curated through the partnership will be accessible to both local and international tourists via taste.magicalkenya.com — a dedicated platform that will bring Kenya's culinary tourism offering into a single, structured digital destination.

For Kenyans, this is as relevant as it is for international visitors. The farm-to-table tours, chef's table experiences and street food guides are experiences worth having on your own doorstep — and the platform makes them as accessible to a Nairobi resident as to a visitor flying in from London or Johannesburg.