Just how attractive is Nairobi for tourists?

A few days ago, I saw a posting on Instagram about a city attractiveness index that has rated Nairobi 144th of 261 cities across the world. I decided to do some research on it. Its official name is the 2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index.

It is produced each year by Yanolja Research of South Korea in collaboration with Purdue University and Kyung Hee University. The Index is designed to assess the attractiveness of cities by analysing how they are mentioned by visitors online on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok – measuring how well a city is known and how attractive it is from visitors’ perspectives.

Two main factors are explored: awareness and attractiveness, where the first is about tourists’ knowledge about a city’s infrastructure, culture, history and amenities, and the second is about the feelings that are evoked by these factors. As the research report says, the awareness and attractiveness of a tourism city are mutually complementary.

A city with high attractiveness but low awareness can grow rapidly through targeted marketing; conversely, a city with high awareness but low attractiveness may suffer from a weakened reputation as negative experiences accumulate over time.

Traditional culture

The Index has four key themes that make for a city’s attractiveness: Urban aesthetics and natural scenery, including flora and fauna; Culture and history: historic and heritage sites, educational sites, religious sites and traditional culture; Experiential tourism content: food, accommodation, shopping, theme parks, nightlife, sports, activities, festivals and other events.

Hospitality: quality and kindness of service providers, friendliness of local residents, attitude of immigration and customs officers.

And so the focus is on unique natural features and scenic landscapes, such as mountains, coastlines, and valleys that are accessible within or near urban settings; the historical background and cultural identity unique to the city; the diversity of leisure activities and entertainment options available; the pleasantness of service providers and the welcome by local residents.

With regard to the significance of the annual tourism city attractiveness reports, four points are made: First, the index provides a comprehensive evaluation system that encompasses a wide range of tourism content. Second, tourism cities can use the index as a foundational reference for strategic planning and global market positioning. Third, the index provides a collective perception of global tourism demand by analysing data from social media platforms, and this enables a data-driven understanding of how cities are perceived by international visitors. Fourth, by publishing annually, it allows for the quantitative tracking of changes and improvements in each city's tourism image.

As for the actual results of the 2026 survey, I can understand why New York and Paris are ranked first and second. I haven’t been to New York, but from what I see in films and hear from friends, I know it has the impressive Manhattan skyline, Broadway theatres, Central Park and shopping on Fifth Avenue. And it has energy and excitement.

Paris, of course, is so much older than New York, and it has its historic buildings such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum; it has the nightclub district of Montmartre and boats on the Seine River. I visited Paris as a young man, and what I valued most was the relaxed pleasure of sitting at the street cafés, drinking a coffee and watching the elegant women passing by – all so different from the drab and chilly towns of the English Midlands where I was brought up.

And now Nairobi. 144th out of 261 tourist cities. I am both surprised and puzzled. I mean, it is even beaten by Lagos, which is rated 73rd. Lagos has its huge Balogun Market, its historic Freedom Park on Lagos Island and its Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art – and its swagger. But it also has heavy traffic, aggressive driving, noisy crowds, con men, scams and safety concerns. Yes, maybe at a less frenetic pace, Nairobi has similar concerns for its tourists, but it also has some unique and stimulating attractions.

Let me assess Nairobi’s attractiveness according to the four key themes of Yanolja’s Index. With regard to the first one, urban aesthetics and natural scenery, Nairobi has one unrivalled attraction – the Nairobi National Park.

Green City

No city in the world has such a game park so close and so easily accessible. With family and friends, I have been there countless times – and every time something different has been seen and enjoyed. Also, there is the Sheldrick Trust Nairobi Nursery, famous for its work in rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned baby elephants and rhinos. The Giraffe Centre, too, is a very special place.

When the Safari Rally was on, and there was only one day free for an organised visit for the foreign drivers, it was usually the Giraffe Centre that was chosen. There is little or nothing aesthetic about Nairobi’s buildings, and it might not live up so well to its old description as the Green City in the Sun, but it still has a number of green spaces such as Karura Forest, the Arboretum and the City, Uhuru and Central Parks.

As for culture and history, Nairobi has the National Museum, which is the best place to understand human evolution, Kenya’s history, and cultural diversity. The Nairobi Gallery and the African Heritage House have excellent displays of art from East Africa and from across the continent. The Railway Museum tells the often-dramatic story of the Kenya-Uganda Railway, and the Karen Blixen Museum was the home of the Danish author who wrote Out of Africa.

Experiential tourism is about things that tourists can do. In Nairobi, they can eat at an amazing variety of restaurants that reflect the city's cosmopolitan population, buy souvenirs at craft shops and Maasai markets, and enjoy the nightlife at many bars and clubs. Finally, Nairobi has some first-rate accommodation, including the historic Norfolk and Stanley hotels. And Kenya’s hospitality staff are reckoned to be of the highest quality, as is shown by the way they can easily find employment in other countries of the region.

Perhaps one reason why Nairobi has such a low score on the Yanolja Index is that the foreign tourists are so keen to get straight to the better-known game parks that they don’t give themselves enough time to get to know what the city has to offer.

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John Fox is Chairman of iDC Email: [email protected]