Safari Njema Sept 2017 Safari_Njema_Sept | Page 22

Business, Investment & infrastructure Global Hotels to set up in Kenya as Tourism outlook projected to Grow By Samwel Doe Ouma @samweldoe Kenya tourist market rebounded in 2016 following four years of decline as international hotel brands plan to open hotels in Kenya during the next five years, Hotel Outlook 2017-2021 advisory report reveals. A ccording to the latest PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC) Africa Insights, 13 new hotels are expected to commence operations in Kenya by 2021, adding 2 400 rooms and expanding the hotel capacity by 13 percent with a 2.5 per cent compound annual increase in available rooms over the next five years. International hotels like Sheraton, Ramada, Hilton, Best Western, Radisson, Marriot and Mövenpick are among the international brands scheduled to open branches in Kenya. The report attributes increased tourist numbers to lifted travel advisories earlier issued by France, United States and the UK. According to the report, visits to Kenya rose to 1.31 million in 2016 up from 1.18 million in 2015, creating demand for bed space. 22 “We project guest nights to build on their recent momentum and rise at a 4.1 percent compound annual rate during the next five years,” the PWC report says. The PWC Outlook report reveals that the average room rate edged up 2.2 per cent in 2016 and room revenue grew 4.9 per cent. The hotel occupancy rate will rise to 57.4 per cent in 2021, up from 52.9 per cent in 2016 September 2017