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VISITORS: Hotels have recorded growth in the number of business travellers making their bookings, according to key players in the country’s hospitality industry.

For instance, PrideInn Hotels, Resorts and Camps’ Nairobi properties experienced a surge in business visitors during the first quarter of 2023, surpassing the number of holiday visitors.

The group reported that PrideInn Azure and PrideInn Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre welcomed a significant number of business executives attending meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events, reflecting the continued recovery of the business environment in Kenya. Speaking at the Nairobi chapter of Skal International gala dinner in Nairobi, PrideInn Hotels, Resorts and Camps Group Managing Director Hasnain Noorani (pictured) attributed the rise in business to the increase in business activities in Nairobi amid ongoing recovery of the economy.

Positive sentiments

The increase was also on account of rising positive sentiments of Nairobi as a business hub and as a host of MICE events. “We are delighted to see our properties being recognised as the ideal venues for business events in Nairobi. We have worked hard to create an environment that caters to the needs of the modern business traveller, and we are pleased to see that our efforts are paying off,” he said.

Business visitors staying in the hotels accounted for 60 per cent of the guests, compared to 40 per cent of holiday visitors, the group argues.

“The majority of visitors to the hotels were domestic, a trend that highlights the resilience of the local market. This was despite the challenges facing the Kenyan economy, including inflationary pressure, the elevated cost of doing business, and the shilling’s depreciation,” he added.

According to the latest tourism reports, tourism earnings rose 83 percent in 2022, with the sector booking Sh268.09 billion compared to Sh146.51 billion in 2021.

Highest growth

Visitors on holiday posted the highest growth at 36.6 percent, with those visiting family and friends at 27.8 percent. Business and meetings incentives convention and exhibitions recorded 27.2 per cent of the total visits.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza has the ministry will be keen on doing a lot of promotion of Meeting Incentives Conventions and Exhibition Centres (MICE) festivals and events to enhance the capacity of hosting.