Hotels record brisk business ahead of Africities summit

An aerial view of Kisumu town [Jacob Otieno, Standard]

The hospitality industry has started recording brisk business ahead of the Africities Summit set for May.

More than 10,000 delegates are expected in the lakeside city for the event whose theme is, "The role of Intermediary Cities of Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063".

Kisumu will be the first intermediary city to host the event scheduled for May 17-21. The previous edition was held in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2018.

Tourism Executive Achi Alai said a number of hotels that had been listed and verified to be capable of hosting the delegates were fully booked. Many other hotels, she said, were also hoping to cash on the huge number of visitors expected.

Alai said Governor Anyang' Nyong'o's administration and other players were working round the clock to complete the Africities Convention Centre, as well as expand the airport and road network in time for the summit.

Alai spoke during the opening of the Africities media workshop.