Hoteliers in Naivasha are recording booming business ahead of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in two weeks.
According to data from the Nakuru County Tourism Association, hotels are fully booked for the event that kicks off during the Easter weekend on March 28.
This came as the Nakuru county government promised to support investors in the hospitality sector with Naivasha turning out to be one of the leading towns for meetings and conferences.
According to the Nakuru County Tourism Association chairman David Mwangi, the town is expecting more than 100,000 visitors during the rally and the Easter holidays.
He said that despite being a low season, hotels in Naivasha, Nakuru and Gilgil were recording high business ahead of the global event.
The Safari will be held between March 28-31 in Nairobi and Naivasha, according to the calendar which was released in October 2023 by the Federation Internationale de I’ Automobile (FIA) World Motorsports Council today. The 13-round championship will also feature Poland and Latvia.
"This is very good Mashujaa Day announcement news and a celebration for all Kenyans as we retrace the Safari Rally journey of 70 years ago when millions of Kenyans looked forward to the Easter weekend every year to enjoy the thrills of the Safari Rally," the WRC Safari Rally CEO Phineas Kimathi said last year.
The CEC for Trade in Nakuru Stephen Kuria was full of praise for the new hotels coming up in the county noting that the devolved unit would continue to support investors through various incentives.
“We have unified all our licences as one way of easing the cost of business and with Naivasha hosting a special economic zone and WRC, we expect the hospitality sector to reap more,” he said.
As the country gears for the fourth edition of the World Rally Championship, the youths in Naivasha have called on the organisers to involve them, noting that they had nothing to show for the last three editions.
According to the youth leader Simon Wakaba, residents had little to show for the event that attracts thousands of rally lovers every year.
“Naivasha residents don’t have anything to show from the past editions of the rally and it's time the organisers came up with a project as part of corporate social responsibility,” Wakaba said.
He said the town had talented and learned youths who could take up various jobs and even perform in the entertainment segment during the event.
Another resident Mathew Ariri called on organisers of WRC to set up a digital hub in the town as part of CSR noting that this would benefit hundreds of youths.
“Our problems have been compounded by failure by the county government to finish stalled projects like the fish market which would have come in handy in job creation,” he said.
