Nakuru County Tourism Association has revealed that hotels in Naivasha have recorded a 90 percent booking ahead of the 2024 World Rally Championships (WRC).
This year, WRC coincides with the Easter holidays and is slated for March 28th -31st in the expansive, dry, and dusty-riddled parts of Naivasha and Gilgil Sub-Counties.
In the past few weeks, a team from WRC and local safari rally officials have camped at the town to comb final touches around Service Park rally routes to ensure the revered world-known toughest motorsport event lives up to its billing.
Nakuru County Tourism Association Chairman David Mwangi said the host hotels and accommodation facilities are ready to welcome their guests, with 100,000 rally enthusiasts expected to line up along the main routes for a once-a-year memorable spendthrift moment.
Mwangi said the hospitality facilities in the county are also expecting to enhance their revenue streams from the WRC rally championship’s Kes 7 billion windfall to the country’s economy.
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Mwangi said Naivasha and Gilgil, being at the center of the motorsport event, are expected to benefit more, with 90 percent of the facilities recording full bookings thanks to the conjoined rally and Easter holiday celebrations.
Speaking during the official opening of the Lemaiyan Suites in Naivasha town, Mwangi said Nakuru County has earned her space as a key destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and exhibition facilities.
“Nakuru and especially Naivasha have their cake cut from the billions of shillings the rally is expected to inject, which will not only stimulate the local economy but create hundreds of jobs for deserving youths,” said Mwangi.
On his part, Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones said the county has assured investors of political goodwill and support by easing processes geared towards speeding up investments.
Kones said the county continues to harness the power of public–private partnerships, key to positioning the county as a key destination choice. Numerous investors are already breaking ground across the county.
The return of the WRC Safari Rally in Kenya in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus has nurtured and positioned the Naivasha tourism and hospitality industry as a key service provider with several facilities on an upward trajectory.
