Safari Rally windfall for Naivasha hotels

This week, Kenya will host the World Rally Championship, which will draw tens of thousands of spectators from around the globe to the Safari Rally, one of the world’s toughest competitions. Which will continue till Sunday.
Due to the large number of guests traveling to the lakeside town for the event, the major hotels in Naivasha are aiming to make significant profits with several of their facilities fully booked.
Kenyan hoteliers anticipate that the most recent iteration of the iconic march will generate more revenue than the Ksh8 billion achieved in 2021. The earnings for the previous year have not yet been made public.
However, the Naivasha hospitality sector has experienced a robust recovery of demand to levels observed before the pandemic, and many hoteliers are eager to use the opportunity to boost earnings.
The majority of the hotels in Naivasha and the surrounding area were already fully booked prior to the event, according to a spot check by The Standard on Monday.
The director of the well-known garden resort Karmel Resort, which is situated along the Naivasha-Kinangop route, Alex Mugo, told The Financial Standard that the resort was receiving a lot of inquiries from tourists and rally fans from across the world about camping and other enjoyable activities. At the hotel, finishing touches could be seen being applied.
To the satisfaction of Kenyan fans, numerous elite rally athletes from around the globe are there. The entry list for this year’s competition, which is described as the toughest fixture on the WRC calendar, includes 10 elite Rally1 vehicles, 11 WRC2 competitors, and a lineup of five WRC3 vehicles.
Along with Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, the Japanese rallying superstar who finished on the podium in Kenya twice, global rallying icons Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier, who won the previous two competitions, will all be driving Toyota GR Yaris vehicles.
One of the regional attractions competing in the rally is Kenyan rally driver Andrew Muiruri, a two-time participant in the WRC Safari Rally and two-time champion in the beginners category of the Champagne park 4×4 race.
The event expects attendees to spend money on accomodation, food and drinks, transportation, reservation services (such tour agencies and operations), and attractions (mostly those centered on nature and culture).
The Safari Rally, a nearly 2,000-kilometer marathon across very harsh terrain, was first conducted in 1953.
An earlier government analysis showed that the 2021 Safari Rally contributed more than Sh8 billion to the local economy, with Naivasha’s workforce and accomodation facilities benefiting disproportionately.
According to the organizers, the Safari Rally in 2021 and 2022 lived up to its reputation as one of the most recognizable motorsport occasions in the world.
The WRC recently released information on the 2022 edition. “Rocky and sandy gravel tracks around Lakes Naivasha and Elmenteita proved brutal, while stunning scenery, exotic wildlife, and enthusiastic locals portrayed Africa at its best,” the WRC noted.
After a 19-year absence, it made a comeback to Kenya in 2021.
Since there are no Covid -19 limits this week, analysts predict Kenya will earn more from the annual event than it did last year.
Over 45,000 domestic and international guests, primarily from North America, Europe, Asia, and the rest of Africa, attended the 2021 show.
The Naivasha event generated 24,758 full-time equivalent employment in 2021, according to data from the government-funded Tourism Research Institute. Ksh3.757 billion in labor income was produced by these jobs.
According to the report, “Overall impacts analysis indicated that total tourism internal demand expenditure (total expenditure around the rally) of Ksh8.258 billion in June–July 2021 period supported 24,758 full–time equivalent jobs and generated Ksh3.757 billion as labour income, nearly Ksh9.610 billion in value addition to the economy, and Ksh15.780 billion as output (new businesses generated).
Due to the motor rally event, “same-day and overnight visitors from outside the country spent an equivalent of Ksh1.35 billion.”
As Kenyans witness local and foreign drivers engage in an epic and exhausting battle on long, dusty, rocky roads in breathtaking landscape with wildlife in free-roaming condition, the Safari Rally has long been a beloved and exciting part of Kenya’s history.
It is one of the few international motor racing competitions that have historically taken place on the continent and is the only African round on the WRC schedule.
According to a TRI study, 99.6% of attendees at the event last year stayed for fewer than 10 days, and 0.5% stayed for between 10 and 20 days.
According to the survey’s findings on visitor age distribution, visitors between the ages of 24 and 34 made up the majority (51.8%), while those 65 and over made up the minority (0.1%).
Prior respondents expressed disappointment at the lack of sufficient spectator areas and restrooms. Additionally, many lamented the long waits in traffic and the restricted highways.
They also criticized the lack of access to food and water, as well as Kenyans’ inability to watch TV live, and bad mobile phone network.
In comparison to female tourists, who spent an average of Ksh31,000, the survey found that male visitors spent an average of Ksh51,000 to Ksh61,000 per visit.
The data reveals that tourists who stayed for longer than a day spent more money than those who stayed for shorter periods of time.