WASHINGTON DC,(October 6, 2026) — Kenya is seeking to deepen tourism, investment and trade links with the United States through a new partnership bringing together Nairobi-based travel company Tuua Safaris and US-based Africaire Hospitality Group.
The partnership, unveiled at a Kenya Embassy-hosted forum in Washington, D.C., will establish the ‘Tourism Triangle,’ a platform seeking to connect Kenya, the Washington metropolitan region and, eventually, Caribbean markets through tourism, cultural exchange and business partnerships.
Kenya’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, Ambassador Christopher Kirigua, said the initiative would create new avenues for businesses and investors in Kenya and the US to collaborate, using tourism and cultural exchange as entry points.
“Everyone should visit Kenya and fall in love. Most importantly, let us begin progressive conversations with action starting right here, right now, that benefit all of us from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and all our organisations and corporations in this very room,” Ambassador Kirigua said.
The September 30 meeting brought together diplomatic, government, aviation, hospitality, investment and trade representatives from Kenya and other African countries, as well as business leaders from Washington D.C. and Maryland.
The initiative is targeting growing interest in Kenya among American leisure travellers, students, executives and investors while creating opportunities for Kenyan tourism and hospitality businesses to access the US market.
Tuua Safaris Founder and CEO Lucy Kimanzi said the company would use the partnership to promote curated travel programmes combining tourism, cultural immersion and investment opportunities.
“Just as we have numerous beautiful destinations to view from the coast to the safaris, we have engaging cultural exchange programmes that could help develop the youth, expand the mind of university students or globally expose the workforce within America,” Ms Kimanzi said.
She said Tuua’s self-discovery and investment expeditions had already attracted hundreds of travellers and were designed to create longer-term relationships between visitors and the communities they encounter.
Africaire Hospitality Group chief executive Ike Nwaneri said the initiative would also leverage African restaurants, hotels and cultural experiences in the US to build interest in travel to the continent.
“Tourism supports impactful missions of unity, progress and scale for many industries,” Mr Nwaneri said, adding that exposing American consumers to African cultures and cuisines could generate opportunities for subsequent travel, investment and commercial partnerships.
The Washington metropolitan region offers a strategic base for the initiative because of its concentration of embassies, international organisations, diaspora communities, businesses and transport infrastructure.
The partnership will initially focus on Kenya and the Washington D.C.–Maryland market before expanding to other US and Caribbean markets.
The organisers said future engagements will focus on tourism and hospitality partnerships, business and investment exchanges, cultural storytelling and links between public- and private-sector institutions.
The launch also brought together representatives from the embassies of Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and St Lucia, alongside officials and business leaders from the District of Columbia and Maryland.
Among those attending were Dr Oye Owolewa, US Shadow Representative for the District of Columbia; Shannetta Griffin, CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration; John Harvey, Chief Marketing Officer at the Maryland Aviation Administration; and Branndon Jackson, COO of Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation.
The meeting also highlighted the role of African-owned businesses in the US in promoting the continent’s tourism and cultural industries. A four-course culinary programme featuring East and West African cuisine was supported by AfriThrive Global and local African-owned farms in Maryland.
