Kenya: Nairobi to Host International Hotel Forum
By Jepkemei Gachomo
NAIROBI--Several premium global hotel and tourism giants have confirmed their participation in the forthcoming Africa Hotel Investment Forum to be held in Nairobi from September 25 -26.
The more than one dozen hotel chains will be hosted in Nairobi this September by the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation (KTDC), which is the 2012 host partner for the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF).
Kenya’s tourism minister Dan Mwazo has also taken up the lead as the AHIF Patron with a pledge to facilitate international investments in the tourism sector.
In a development attributed to Kenya’s growing interest as an investment destination, the global hospitality chains that have confirmed participation include Accor Hotels, the world's leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, present in 92 countries with more than 4,400 hotels and 530,000 rooms under its fold.
According to KTDC chief executive Marianne Ndegwa, Marriot International, a leading lodging company with more than 3,700 properties in 73 countries and territories worldwide, will also be participating in the major forum which will feature existing local operators and international chains eyeing local opportunities.
Besides Accor and Marriott, Aecom Design + Planning, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Hotel Spec, Horwath HTL, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, W Hospitality Group, WATG and Wyndham Hotel Group, will also showcase at the event.
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Société Marocaine d’Ingénierie Touristique (SMIT) and Lonrho Hotels, have also confirmed participation, as well as existing premium hotel brands such as Hilton Worldwide and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Speaking during his recent tour of the Japan to attend the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) global Summit, Tourism Minister Dan Mwazo and Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events, who is responsible for organising AHIF pledged to ensure a successful conference in the interest of regional tourism investments.
According to the WTTC statistics, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the GDP of Kenya was Kshs 403.7 billion (13.7 per cent of GDP) in 2011 and is forecast to rise by 4.3 per cent in 2012, and to rise by 3.7 per cent annually to Kshs 603.1 billin over the coming decade.
The total contribution of travel and tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry, was 11.9 per cent of total employment (778,500 jobs) in 2011. This is expected to rise by 1.2 per cent in 2012 to 788,000 jobs and rise by 1.4 per cent per annum to nearly a million jobs in 2022.