The Western tourism circuit is on the recovery path following the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is signified by the number of new hotels and conference facilities coming up to meet the demand of the rising number of visitors in the region.
Lake Victoria Tourism Association Chairman Robinson Anyal said the rapid expansion, which is a response to the industry needs was an indicator that the sector was on a recovery trajectory.
This, he said has seen the bed capacity within the circuit which covers 14 counties increase from 1, 500 in 2014 to 10, 000 in 2024 with the potential for more given the number of new facilities coming up.
He attributed the growth to support from the government and development partners which has stimulated the recovery efforts.
“Covid-19 is one of the worst things that happened to the sector. However, we received a lot of support from the government through the Tourism Fund which helps our members in doing renovations. Several NGOs also came through the association to support the affected establishments,” he said.
This, he said has seen the industry quickly adapt to new ways of doing business and at the same time attracted international conferences and workshops.
“This has given us the confidence to be able to host large conferences among them the Afri-Cities in 2022. We also have several other conferences lined up,” he said.
The region which comprises Kisumu, Siaya, Homabay, Migori, Nyamira, Kisii, Kericho, Bomet, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Uasin Gishu, and Vihiga counties has asserted itself a leading conference hub following the new developments.
“We make money mainly from domestic tourism, conference tourism, and accommodation but our goal is to grow leisure tourism which has a lot of potential in this area,” he said.
Speaking in Kisumu during the 10th Nyanza Region Hotel Suppliers Expo, Anyal the circuit was endowed with key attraction sites among them Lake Victoria beaches, Impala Sanctuary (Kisumu), Saiwa swamp (KItale), Ndere Island (Kisumu), Roan Antelope (Homa Bay) among others which is properly marketed have the potential of wooing international visitors.
“Currently we are just doing about 20% leisure tourism but with proper marketing, this circuit has the potential to compete effectively with Coast and Maasai Mara when it comes to international tourists,” he said.
The expo organized by Insight Hospitality brought together hoteliers and suppliers of various products and hotel solutions.
Anyal said the expo was critical to enable players in the sector to acquire modern facilities and innovations to boost service delivery.
This, he added would give the region a competitive advantage and woo more visitors.
Insight Hospitality boss Titus Korir said through the expo, hoteliers can keep abreast with the latest facilities, trends, and technology to be able to offer top-notch services.
“The objective of this expo is to support hoteliers to learn new trends and technology for use in their facilities,” he said.
Since its inception ten years ago, he said the expo has played a critical role in the growth of the sector with new hotels coming up getting easy access to various solutions and facilities.
The expo in the western region is held annually in Kisumu (February), Eldoret (May), and Kisii (September).
By Chris Mahandara
