The government is planning to start afresh the process of the national classification exercise of hotels.
The exercise would be conducted by the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa said they will use the East African Classification Criteria, which has been approved by the East African communities.
The exercise, he said, will help market tourism and promote the sector.
"We want to know the number of both big and small hotels to make it easy for identification and marketing," Ololtuaa said.
Classification is crucial in elevating the status of hotels and making quality assurance of services.
The PS made the remarks on Thursday at the Neptune Paradise Beach Resort and Spa during 2024 tourism symposium in Kwale county.
The exercise will prompt the hotels to maintain their standards and enhance service delivery.
Ololtuaa said the government is determined to improve the tourism industry and will give the classification exercise the seriousness it deserves.
The exercise hopes to increase the number of both domestic and international tourists from the current two million to five million by 2027.
The government, the PS said, has put in place affirmative measures to enable the development and marketing of various tourist attraction packages.
"We are working with the Kenya Tourism Board and counties to effectively market our products locally and abroad," he said.
The national government is partnering with counties to identify, develop and market other unique historical sites apart from the beach and wildlife.
Ololtuaa said the Tourism ministry is working closely with its Transport counterpart to improve road networks and air transport to promote the sector.
He said the government is empowering the Tourism Police Unit to enhance the security of hotels and tourists.
He added that they want to ensure that hotels and workers meet the required operational standards to provide tourists with the best services.
The PS said the government plans to improve quality hospitality skills in public and private colleges to raise hotel and staff standards.
The Tourism ministry is also looking forward to tapping into medical tourism to keep the sector afloat.
"We have a lot of people from Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda among others coming for specialised treatment," he said.
Ololtuaa said that talks are already underway with the management of the various hospitals to ensure tourists coming for medication get quality reception and accommodation.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani said the county is partnering with numerous stakeholders to develop the industry.
Achani said her administration is committed to constructing beach access roads and streetlights and developing several historical sites such as Maji Moto Springs and Map of Africa in Tiwi.
The county, she said, is in partnership with the national government to to construct Kwale Heritage and Convention Centre and cultural centres.