Hotels along the coast and safari circuits have reported a booming business during this August school holiday, which also coincides with the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament in Nairobi facilities.
At the coast, hotels mostly in Mombasa and Diani have recorded bookings and occupancy of between 60 and 80 per cent over the past one week, with more business expected within the public schools break period that runs up to the last week of the month.
The Maasai Mara and the Mount Kenya circuits are also reaping from high numbers, industry players have said, with some facilities in the Mara being up to 90 per cent busy, thanks to the annual wildebeest migration.
In Nairobi, the CHAN tournament, being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, running from August 2 to August 30, has brought good business for the hotel industry with Group A teams which include Kenya, Morocco, DR Congo, Angola and Zambia being based in Nairobi.
The tournament’s final will also be played in Nairobi later this month, giving the city a month-long activity where hotels, suppliers, vendors and the transport sector are expected to benefit, with most of the teams staying in facilities around Westlands.
“The tournament is very good for hotels as they are hosting the various teams as well as fans. Our country can benefit greatly by hosting more sporting events of this nature,” Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers CEO, Mike Macharia, told the Star yesterday.
On other regions, Macharia said: “August looks busy as usual. A good number of forward bookings for the holidays along the Coast and Safari Circuits.”
Mombasa Continental Resort, general manager Mike Kamau, said the facility, based in the North Coast (Shanzu), has already hit 70 per cent for the August holiday bookings.
“We have a lot of schools both primary and secondary which are on holiday trips. Overall, domestic accounts for 90 per cent of our bookings. We are encouraging families to come at this time, especially those who are not able to come in the festive period and take advantage of special rates,” he noted.
School holidays have remained a major driver of hotel business in the country, mainly the coastal region.
“The season is just starting and also with the closure of schools, we expect good numbers in August more so from the domestic market. Currently, most hotels have an average of 60 per cent occupancy. We expect this number to rise going forward,” Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) chief executive, Julius Owino, told the Star.
The strong performance comes as the country expects a good year in the sector after hitting a record 2.4 million international tourists last year, where the domestic tourism also accounted for over five million bed nights mainly driven by holidays and conferences.
The 2024 international arrivals came with a substantial increase in inbound tourism earnings, rising from Sh377.49 billion in 2023 to Sh452.20 billion in 2024, a 19.79 per cent increase. This year’s earnings are expected to hit Sh560 billion on a projected three million international tourists.
The country targets to hit at least five million international arrivals by 2027 which, according to the Tourism Research Institute (TRI), it will translate to earnings of about Sh800 billion.
