Advertisement

African travel awards in the offing

Saturday January 20 2018
lounge

The Kenya Airways lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The airline has been nominated for a Kenya Travel Award. PHOTO | NMG

By SUSAN MUUMBI

This year has started on a high note for the tourism sector in Kenya.

Early this month, 576 tourists arrived in Mombasa aboard the ship MS Nautica.

Nairobi was ranked the top tourism destination in Africa and third best in the world by the world’s largest travel site TripAdvisor.

The US scrapped its travel advisory, and Kenya Airways launched direct flights to America.

And now, Jumia Travel will hold the second edition of the Kenya Travel Awards to recognise hoteliers for the high quality of their services and to promote local destinations.

“By organising these African Travel Awards, our mission is not only to recognise and reward the merit of local tourism stakeholders, but also to provide a credible benchmark for the African tourism industry,” said Joe Falter, CEO of Jumia Travel.

Advertisement

Seven categories will be awarded: Customer’s Favourite Hotel 2017, Customer’s Favourite Airline Company 2017, Best Destination Website 2017, Jumia Travel’s Booking Award 2017, Traveller’s Choice Hotel 2017, Best Leisure Hotel in Kenya 2017, and Best Business Hotel in Kenya 2017.

A jury made up of high-level tourism professionals will judge the nominated hotels. The jury’s decision will contribute to 50 per cent of the result, and the other half will be from the public through a voting process. Nominees include Voyager Beach Resort, Radisson Blu hotel, Kenya Airways and travel writer Rupi Mangat.

Winners will be feted at a ceremony held on February 1, at Fairmont the Norfolk.

In other countries — Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania — the awards will be held on January 25.

“The awards have ascertained Jumia Travel’s commitment to better the travel and hospitality experience in Kenya, positioning the awards ceremony as a key event in the tourism sector in the country,” said Cyrus Onyiego, the country manager of Jumia Travel Kenya.

Advertisement