New hotel rankings to lift local standards

By Luke Anami

The Government will carry out a rating exercise to review the hotel rankings, Assistant Tourism Minister, Cecily Mbarire, has said.

Mbarire said some of the five star hotels may have depreciated in the past three years, while some such as three star hotels could have improved on their rankings.

"The rating exercise is to ascertain the status they used to be in and inform the current ranking status of hotels in the country," she said in an interview with the Standard.

Classification is a World Trade Organization requirement, and is sometimes used to control or monitor accommodation tariffs worldwide. It has also been used in the past as a basis for the application of Government taxes such as VAT.

Mbarire cited the competitive marketing of hotel services to foreign customers and tourist professionals as a driving forces for instituting a national hotel classification system.

"Therefore the exercise will inform the current status of hotels and restaurants in Kenya, with an effort to bring them to international standards," she said

She said a task force formed last year will review tourism rates that target domestic tourism.

"The Government is looking into ways to promote domestic tourism. We are in a process to review charges in our tourist sites and hotels to ensure the rates are affordable to most Kenyans," she added.

The Government is also drawing up strategies to market tourism in the East African Community region. Mbarire said the plans to market the region as a single tourist destination will however require the harmonisation of tour rates, among other charges, across the borders.

"We intend to develop a uni-visa that will allow free movement of tour guides and tourists to and from EAC member countries, and work out strategies of promoting tourism in the region."