Raring to start: Naivasha hotels gear up for Safari Rally windfall

President William Ruto with women rally drivers beofre flagging off vehicles during 2023 WRC Safari Rally at KWS Service park Naivasha on June 21, 2023. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

As the opening of the world-famous Safari rally approaches, hoteliers in and around the lakeside town of Naivasha are making last-minute efforts to get their slice of the hoopla that will carry on throughout the weekend.

Kenya is this week hosting the World Rally Championship (WRC), with thousands of fans from around the world attending the Safari Rally, known to be one of the toughest races in the world.

The rally will run until Sunday.

All major hotels in Naivasha are looking to secure big profits with many facilities fully booked, thanks to a huge number of visitors coming for the event in the lakeside town.

Kenyan hoteliers see the latest edition of the world-famous rally injecting more than the Sh8 billion recorded in 2021.

There are no public numbers yet on the earnings for last year.

However, the Naivasha hospitality industry has seen a strong rebound of demand back to pre-pandemic levels, and many hoteliers are keen to capitalise on the rally to drive earnings.

A spot check on Monday by The Standard revealed the majority of hotels in Naivasha and surrounding were already fully booked in the run-up to the event.

FIA World Rally Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera in action during World Rally Championship (WRC), Safari Rally Kenya shakedown in Naivasha on June 21, 2023. [WRC.COM]

"We are receiving many enquiries for camping and other fun activities by visitors and rally enthusiasts from all over the world," Alex Mugo, the director of Karmel Resort, a popular garden resort located along the Naivasha-Kinangop road, told The Financial Standard.

Final touches could be seen being conducted at the hotel.

A host of top rally stars from around the world are in the country, to the delight of Kenyan fans.

The entry list for this year's event, billed as the toughest fixture on the WRC calendar, features 10 top-level Rally1 cars, 11 WRC2 runners plus a five-strong WRC3 line-up.

'Vasha' comes alive as revellers vroom in for the rally action

Global rallying stars, Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier - winners of the previous two editions - both field Toyota GR Yaris cars along with Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, the Japanese star twice a podium finisher in Kenya.

Kenyan rally driver Andrew Muiruri, a two-time WRC Safari Rally participant and two-time Champagne park 4x4 champion (beginners category) is among the local attractions participating in the rally.

Kenyan Rally driver Andrew Muiruri in the company of his navigator and a friend at the Karmel Resort ahead of the showdown. [Courtesy]

Visitors at the event are expected to spend on accommodation, food and drinks, transport, reservation services (for instance, tour agencies and operations) and attractions (mainly, nature and culture-based).

The Safari Rally was first held in 1953, an epic marathon of nearly 2,000 kilometres on often unforgiving terrain.

The hosting of the Safari Rally in 2021 pumped more than Sh8 billion into the economy with workers and hospitality establishments in Naivasha taking the lion's share of the perks, an earlier government report showed.

The Safari Rally in 2021 and 2022 consequently lived up to its reputation as one of the world's iconic motorsport events, according to organisers.

"Rocky and sandy gravel tracks around Lakes Naivasha and Elmenteita proved brutal, while stunning scenery, exotic wildlife and enthusiastic locals portrayed Africa at its best," wrote the WRC recently on the 2022 edition.

The 2021 event marked its return to Kenya after a 19-year hiatus.

Analysts say Kenya is this week expected to rake in more from the annual event, surpassing last year's earnings since there are no Covid -19 restrictions.

The 2021 show attracted more than 45,000 local and foreign visitors mainly from America, Europe, Asia and the rest of Africa.

Data from the State-backed Tourism Research Institute (TRI) shows the Naivasha event created 24,758 full-time equivalent jobs in 2021.

These jobs generated Sh3.757 billion as labour income.

"Overall impacts analysis indicated that total tourism internal demand expenditure (total expenditure around the rally) of Sh8.258 billion in June- July 2021 period supported 24,758 full-time equivalent jobs and generated Sh3.757 billion as labour income, nearly Sh9.610 billion in value addition to the economy and Sh15.780 billion as output (new businesses generated)," said the report.

"Same day and overnight visitors from outside the country spent an equivalent of Sh1.35 billion due to the motor rally event."

The Safari Rally has for decades been a much-loved, adventurous part of Kenya's history, as Kenyans watch local and foreign drivers fight it out in an epic and gruelling battle on long, dusty, rocky roads in picturesque scenery with wildlife freely roaming.

It's the only African round in the WRC calendar and one of a few global motor racing events that have historically taken place on the continent.

President William Ruto during the shakedown at Loldia in Naivasha, Nakuru County at the Safari Rally 2023 edition. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The survey by TRI says most of the visitors to last year's event (99.6 per cent) stayed for less than 10 days while 0.05 per cent spent between 10-20 days.

In terms of age distribution, the survey says most of the visitors were between 24 -34 (51.8 per cent) while the least were visitors aged 65 and above (0.1 per cent).

Respondents earlier said they were disappointed there were not enough spectator zones and adequate toilet facilities. They also complained of long wait in traffic and closed roads.

There was no TV live stream available to Kenyans coupled with poor mobile phone network, they said, also faulting access to food and water.

The study says male visitors spent more compared to females where the average expenditure range for the latter was Sh31,000 while males had average spending between Sh51,000, to Sh61,000.

The data shows visitors who stayed for more than one day spent more than visitors who stayed less than a day.