Hoteliers bet big on sh62.2bn Nairobi expressway to boost mice tourism

By Seth Emanuel

City hospitality industry players are optimistic about the future as they expect more conferences to be hosted in Nairobi once the Expressway is complete.

Hospitality industry has been touted as one of the major beneficiaries of the Sh62.2 billion Nairobi Expressway project which is expected to reduce travel time to and from Jomo Kenyatta International airport and Syokimau SGR station.

PrideInn Hotels Managing Director, Hasnain Noorani, said the road will be a big boost to the industry considering the reduced travel time and easy connectivity.

“The Expressway will reduce the time spent in traffic and make Nairobi an exciting place for local and international conferences and tourists. This will complete the business and leisure cycle since they will have the chance to enjoy Nairobi’s cultural, leisure and wildlife products,” said Hasnain.

“The road, linking JKIA to city’s tourism hub will avail a more faster transport option to both local and international tourists yearning for leisure and conferences in Nairobi,” added Hasnain

Road infrastructure and tourism represent positive implications for mutual relations and constraints. Today, the impacts of road infrastructure on tourism are more visible than ever before.

“When the pandemic halted tourism completely an year ago, its recovery and continuous development relies on the development of appropriate infrastructure, which services the needs of tourists and encourages investment in the sector. Upon completion of Nairobi Express Way, we foresee hospitality segments such as accommodation, restaurants, built-up attractions, tours and transport boom,” said Noorani

Road and transport infrastructure in a country attracts tourists and can promote tourism destinations. A positive relationship between road infrastructure and tourist activities, which increases the flow of tourism development. Decongesting roads will significantly increase the volume of tourists in Nairobi.

“Road infrastructure is absolutely important for the dispersal of tourists and conference delegates beyond major gateways. If we want to continue to grow tourism and in particular conference tourism in Nairobi, road infrastructure is one area that needs continuous improvement. Hopefully, with current ongoing construction of Expressway, movement from the airport to the city centre will be made easy,” said Noorani

“Such amenities will contribute towards making Nairobi’s tourism products enjoyable, reliable, and sustainable. This road will provide a first critical impression of Nairobi as a destination. It shall also improve inland mobility and experience,” said Farzana Zahir, PrideInn Group Sales & Marketing Director.

Two years ago, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority ranked Nairobi as the fourth most congested city in the world. The time wasted in these traffic jams bleeds the city a whopping Sh100 billion every year. A different study by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), studies showed that Kenya loses over KES 50 million daily in traffic jams. An amount that results in KES 18.25 billion loss annually.