The allure of cultural tourism

By Monica Muema

City Hotels of are set to cash in on enhanced heritage tourism in Nairobi County.

“Emphasizing on heritage and cultural tourism will enhance Nairobi’s competitiveness as a leading business tourist destination of choice in the region, this especially for business and conference tourists who come to Nairobi yet they have limited time to visit other destinations out of town,” said Farzana Zahir, Sales and Marketing Director, PrideInn Hotels.

Cultural tourism is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those people, their art, architecture, religion, and other elements that helped shape their way of life.

Local hotel brands are facing a stiff competition from increased supply of rooms by the international brands raising competition in the industry and potentially reducing margins as establishments find it difficult to raise prices significantly.

Key tourist attractions in Nairobi include the Nairobi Museum, the Kenya National Archives, the Railways Museum, Bomas of Kenya and many other areas which showcase Kenya’s culture.

Diversifying trails for local tourism is something that has to be a trend that’s why we want to maximize on the potential of heritage tourism within Nairobi.

All visitors accommodated within PrideInn facilities in Nairobi will have an opportunity to visit heritage facilities within the city. We thought of doing so because majority of our foreign business guests and some locals have no time to visit other destinations out of town,” said Farzana.

Besides helping the country avoid overreliance on wildlife and beach tourism and in the process fend off increased competition from other destinations such as Mombasa, Mara, Mt. Kenya, among others who have diversified their offerings, heritage tourism can be a platform to ensure local hospitality business within Nairobi County remain afloat especially at a time when competition is so stiff.

Global statistics show that culture and heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing and highest revenue source and sustainable visitor economy, which has contributed significantly in the growth tourist numbers as demonstrated by most African nations, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).