Published on : Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Tourism numbers in Mt. Kenya region are showing signs of promise and there are lots of exciting plans in the pipeline. Industry players have been looking for novel ways for long for attracting local and international visitors. According to the region’s Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Chairman Edward Wangechi, hotels are now operating on a scale of between 30 to 60 per cent tourists flow. Hotels are fully booked for festivities with bed occupancy at 90 per cent.
“We have had the longest electioneering year where we were operating on a scale of zero to 10 per cent. We dealt a lot with cancellations,” Wangechi said. An example of such cancellation is the Mt Kenya Epik challenge that was scheduled to take place at the Naromoru River Lodge in Nyeri last month which was called off due to the political problems. About four local teams were expected to take part in the event alongside tens of individual competitors. A Norwegian cycling team was also expected to participate in the 220-kilometre series.
Sporting activities at the region are now at the centre of attention. Last month, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala went on a five-day excursion of Mt. Kenya for promoting the country’s tourism. This put the region on the map with many people both local and international expressing their willingness to embark on such an adventure.
“We have revamped our tourism activities to apart from wildlife, include agri-tourism, sports, water rafting, bike trails and Mt Kenya treks,” said Mr. Wangechi. Laikipia County led by Governor Ndiritu Muriithi drove for 180 kilometres in a move aimed at promoting tourism in a fleet of over 40 vehicles. Laikipia had been described as a war-torn county occasioned by frequent bandit invasion. The amateur race aimed at portraying the county as a safe destination for vacationers and also assuring locals of their safety.
Tags: Mt. Kenya