Hotel bookings in Naivasha and its environs dropped by over 40 per cent during the festive season to the dismay of hoteliers.
The just ended season was the most disappointing in ten years for the sector as local and international visitor numbers dropped sharply compared to previous years.
Cray Fish Camp CEO Peter Mehta who is also chairman of hoteliers noted that local tourists dominated in the number of visitors touring the town.
“The just ended festive season was the worst as our room bookings and the number of visitors dropped by over 40 per cent,” he said.
Despite the drop, Mehta noted that Naivasha was still the place to visit due to the increasing number of hotels.
“Naivasha will continue to be the main challenger to Mombasa and despite the setback we are committed to making this town even more attractive to local and international visitors,” he said.
George Njuguna, the general manager at Heritage Resort, noted the harsh economic times contributed to the low number of visitors.
“We had anticipated that the number of visitors in the town would increase due to the improved security and peace, unfortunately this was never to be,” he said.