Nairobi Expressway Set to Boost City's MICE and Tourism Business - Expert
City hospitality industry has expressed optimism in the recovery of the sector as they expect more conferences to be hosted in Nairobi once the Expressway is complete.
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 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. "The road, linking JKIA and Syokimau SGR station 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," he added.
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. 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. 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 Sh50 million daily in traffic jams. An amount that results in Sh18.25 billion loss annually.
