• Tourism sector performance report for 2023 shows that in the period between 2019 and 2023 bed occupancy rose by 27 per cent.
• Kenya has 31 hotels with a total of 4,268 rooms in the pipeline with an average size of approximately 138 rooms per property.
Image: HANDOUT
Kenya is looking to ride on tourism numbers to grow its bed occupancy levels to 5.5 million this year from 4 million in 2023, Kenya Tourism Board has revealed.
According to KTB CEO June Chepkemei, the sector has already overcome the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, slowly stabilising and regaining profitability, thereby reigniting strong investor interest.
Tourism sector performance report for 2023 shows that in the period between 2019 and 2023 bed occupancy rose by 27 per cent from 4,996,370 in the period January to September 2022 to 6,338,904 in the same period during 2023.
Attributed to the rise in the number of visitors arriving and growing domestic tourism activity during the period under review and the growing popularity of the country as a tourist destination.
“As of the last financial year, we recorded about four million bed nights in our hotels, and this financial year, we are looking to increase that to over 5.5 million,” said Chepkemei during the opening of Hilton’s latest addition in the Kenyan Market.
Hilton officially launched Kwetu Nairobi, Curio Collection by Hilton, marking the debut of the Curio brand in East Africa.
The new addition to Nairobi’s hospitality landscape is located near key areas like the Central Business District, Gigiri, and Karura Forest and is Hiltons first lifestyle themed hotel in the country.
Kwetu Nairobi general manager, Adel Mojarrad said that the changing consumer demands have prompted the change to the lifestyle themed outlet.
“We are excited to unveil our beautiful boutique hotel to the community and invite everyone to experience the first Curio Collection in Eastern and Southern Africa. Kwetu in Kiswahili means our place, and we want to create a space that feels just as much as yours, as ours’’ said Mojarrad.
The hotel blends historical details with contemporary design, featuring rooms with balconies, terraces, and locally-inspired interiors.
“We are glad to know that Kwetu is now registering 70% bet occupancy. This is above the market rate, which is usually at around 50percent that goes to show that if you invest it, if you invest right, you get the need and the checks in the market,” said Chepkemei.
Several premium hotels have opened this year such as JW Marriot and The Accor's Pullman in May 2024.
However, the latest survey by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group, and the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) shows that the country dropped two positions from fifth recorded in 2023 in the number of hotel rooms under development.
Kenya has 31 hotels with a total of 4,268 rooms in the pipeline with an average size of approximately 138 rooms per property.
Latest data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2024, shows hotel bed-nights occupancy increased by 23.2 per cent from 7 million in 2022 to 8.6 million in 2023.
Residents of Kenya accounted for more than half of the total bed-night occupancy in 2023, highlighting the significance of domestic tourism.