Darren Huston

Darren Huston Speaks On Tourism Targets

The 2 countries was ranked 7th and 10th respectively in a survey by W Hospitality, a global company offering advisory services for the hotel, tourism and entertainment industries.

8th global hotel chains, among them Radisson, Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott and Kempinski, plan to add 1,510 rooms in Kenya while in Uganda 9 international hotels, among them Hilton and Sheraton, plan to build 1,397 rooms.

In Nigeria, which ranked on the top, 51 hotels target 8,563 rooms. Egypt and Morocco are ranked 2nd and 3rd with plans for 6,440 and 5,474 rooms respectively.

Darren Huston said "The EAC countries should utilise social media to showcase their beaches and wildlife. Tunisia and Morocco have done this, while Egypt is rebounding because tourists choose what is easily available to them."

Agatha Juma the chief executive of the Kenya Tourism Federation, stated the ranking indicates "that despite the challenges facing Kenya, the country and the region remain on the radar of investors and tourists. Such investments imply there is a foreseen growth in tourist numbers to occupy these rooms."

Specialists in the travel industry said that East African countries should step up their marketing techniques to compete favorably with North and West Africa for investments and tourists.

Slow infrastructural development such as airports, visa restrictions and insecurity remain major challenges for visitors in East Africa, hindering investments.

North Africa is developing strongly and South Africa remains attractive to travelers because of its ability to promote particular segments on modern platforms, experts said, despite insecurity challenges in the past.