Kenya as a Sports Tourism Destination

Travelers typically visit specific locations to experience what they have learned about a particular country’s culture or history: Great Britain for great tea, Thailand for authentic Thai street food or Argentina to learn how to tango. When foreigners think of Kenya, most conjure up images of rail-thin runners crossing the desolate environ while cheetahs lurk in the brush. Although cheetahs may not be on many travelers’ bucket lists, the chance to run in Kenya, the birthplace and training grounds of some of the world’s best runners, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for avid athletes.

Sports tourism lures pavement pounders to the African country to witness the development of Olympic-caliber runners and maybe even take part in a local race or long-distance run. A popular training location for Kenyan runners is Iten, a town that also features a high-altitude training center for hardcore runners who opt to face hills and altitude changes as part of their training.

Runners from all over the world have been traveling to Kenya, some to open their own tourism companies like the Kenya Experience, which features a series of customizable training camps operated by a British expat. Such training camps allow participants to meet and run with famous Kenyan athletes and to learn more about their training techniques and lifestyles.

In 2015, more than 1,200 runners participated in Kenya’s Lewan marathon, the proceeds of which go to preserve the local land. With continued interest in Kenya as a sports tourism destination for running, rugby and camel and horse racing, a new wave of athletes may start to reconsider their training locations.