Tourism Seychelles and Kenya Airways are jointly marketing twin-centre safari and beach holidays to North America, built around the carrier's New York JFK-Nairobi service and onward flights to Mahé.
Cover image: Granite boulders and turquoise water on a Seychelles beach — photo by NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Tourism Seychelles and Kenya Airways have launched a joint push to sell twin-centre safari and beach holidays to North American travellers, packaging a Kenyan safari with a Seychelles island stay on one itinerary built around the airline's non-stop New York JFK–Nairobi service and its onward flights to Mahé.
The initiative, announced in late August 2026, was set out by David Germain, the Seychelles Tourism Board's dedicated representative for the Americas, and Anthony Brinn, Kenya Airways' commercial manager for the USA. It commits the destination and the carrier to joint marketing campaigns aimed at the North American travel trade, promoting combined Kenya–Seychelles itineraries to tour operators across the United States and Canada. Kenya Airways currently operates four weekly flights between Nairobi and Mahé, with additional frequency planned from September 2026, according to the announcement.
“An African safari in Kenya followed by a holiday in Seychelles brings together some of the best that Africa has to offer – from exceptional wildlife to iconic beaches and the remarkable natural beauty of the Seychelles Islands,” Germain said.
What have Tourism Seychelles and Kenya Airways agreed?
The partnership is a marketing and distribution alliance rather than a new air-service agreement. Its core components, per the announcement coverage, are:
- Joint promotional campaigns targeting the North American travel trade, positioning Seychelles as the beach extension to an East African safari.
- Twin-centre packaging pushed to tour operators, combining Kenya's wildlife circuit with Seychelles' beaches on a single routing.
- Simpler itineraries: aligning schedules and marketing so that a two-country trip that traditionally required separate, complex bookings can be sold as one product.
It is a textbook piece of destination-marketing craft — airlift plus trade activation — of the kind we unpack in our explainer on what a tourism board actually does.
How would a Kenya–Seychelles twin-centre trip work?
The routing leans entirely on Kenya Airways' Nairobi hub. The carrier flies non-stop between New York JFK and Nairobi with Boeing 787-8s, and Simple Flying reports it plans daily 787-8 service on the roughly 7,360-mile route for most of this winter. From Nairobi, the Mahé sector is a flight of just over three hours.
| Leg | Route | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York JFK → Nairobi (NBO) | Kenya Airways non-stop, Boeing 787-8; daily for most of winter 2026-27 |
| 2 | Kenya safari | Masai Mara, Amboseli or other circuits via Nairobi |
| 3 | Nairobi → Mahé (SEZ) | Kenya Airways, four weekly; more frequency planned from September 2026 |
| 4 | Mahé → Nairobi → New York JFK | Return via the Nairobi hub |
For American travellers, the sales pitch is that one airline and one hub cover both the safari and the beach leg — no repositioning through Gulf or European hubs between the two countries.
Why is Seychelles targeting American travellers?
Seychelles needs new source markets. Figures tracked by Tourism Analytics show 171,279 visitors had arrived by week 27 of 2026, down 13.6% on the 198,238 recorded at the same point of 2025 — pressure on a destination that has long depended on European arrivals. The Americas, by contrast, grew about 5% in 2025, making North America one of the few expanding long-haul segments.
“Kenya Airways' non-stop connection between New York and Nairobi, together with its onward service to Seychelles, provides a strong platform for growing Seychelles' share,” Germain said. The move fits a wider 2026 pattern of island destinations chasing the US traveller with sharper trade campaigns, a trend we examined in our comparison of 2026 tourism board campaigns.
What about Canadian travellers?
Canada is fed by a separate piece of plumbing: the WestJet–Kenya Airways interline agreement signed in July 2025. It gives Canadians single-ticket access from cities including Calgary, Toronto, Halifax and St. John's to some 36 African destinations, connecting onto Kenya Airways via New York JFK as well as Paris, Amsterdam and London, with single check-in and through-checked baggage. That places the safari-beach product within one booking of much of WestJet's expanding winter network.
What does this mean for the travel trade?
For North American operators and advisors, the partnership creates a commissionable, higher-yield product — twin-centre trips command longer stays and bigger baskets than either destination alone — with the airlift risk carried by Kenya Airways' hub. It also intensifies competition for the US–Africa long-haul traveller at a moment when Gulf carriers are deepening their own African networks, as covered in our report on Etihad's 2026 Africa expansion. Early coverage of the Seychelles deal also framed the East Africa routing as a useful alternative at a time of disruption around Middle East airspace.
The near-term test is capacity: four weekly Nairobi–Mahé rotations is thin for a market being actively stimulated. The frequency increase promised from September 2026 will show how seriously Kenya Airways backs the pitch.
Frequently asked questions
Do Americans need a visa for Kenya and Seychelles?
US citizens do not need a traditional visa for either country, but both require pre-travel authorisation. Kenya requires an electronic travel authorisation (eTA), applied for online before departure. Seychelles is visa-free for all nationalities but requires a digital Travel Authorization, submitted online before boarding. Check official government sites for current fees and processing times before travelling.
How long are the flights on a Kenya–Seychelles twin-centre trip?
Kenya Airways' New York JFK–Nairobi non-stop covers roughly 7,360 miles, one of the longest routes in Africa, flown with Boeing 787-8s. The onward Nairobi–Mahé sector takes just over three hours. That means the beach leg adds only a short regional hop to the trip rather than a second long-haul journey through Gulf or European hubs.
How often does Kenya Airways fly from Nairobi to Seychelles?
At the time of the announcement, Kenya Airways operated four weekly flights between Nairobi and Mahé, with additional frequency planned from September 2026. The New York JFK–Nairobi service is planned to operate daily for most of the winter 2026-27 season, according to reporting by Simple Flying, giving the twin-centre product a consistent long-haul backbone.
Can Canadians book a Kenya–Seychelles trip on one ticket?
Largely, yes. The WestJet–Kenya Airways interline agreement signed in July 2025 allows single-ticket itineraries from Canadian cities including Calgary, Toronto, Halifax and St. John's to around 36 African destinations, connecting via New York JFK, Paris, Amsterdam or London, with single check-in and through-checked baggage for the whole journey.
Sources
- eTurboNews — Safari to Seychelles: Kenya Airways Opens a Dream African Escape for Americans
- Cover Page Media — Seychelles and Kenya Airways Join Forces to Drive Twin-Centre Holidays from North America
- WestJet — WestJet and Kenya Airways announce new interline agreement expanding connectivity across Africa
- Simple Flying — Kenya Airways Plans Daily Boeing 787 Flights To New York This Winter
- Tourism Analytics — Seychelles Tourism Performance Statistics 2026
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