A recent report by Saffir Africa has shed light on the travel habits of Kenyans. The study which yielded the report, ‘How Kenyans Travel’ was conducted between 1st and 23rd August 2017, mostly targets service providers and businesses in the travel and hospitality industry.
Majority (41%) of the respondents were aged between 23 -29 years, followed by those aged 30 -36 years (35%). Another finding in the report that shows that a good number of Kenyans (75%) save up for travel and have short planning times of between a week to a month before their travel date (87%).
The biggest factors that drew Kenyans to a particular travel destination was fun and recreation (42.4%) followed by nature (22.9%). The most popular travel destination was the Kenyan Coast (70%) and specifically Diani beach. The scenic views on the Diani coastline coupled with a wide range of recreational activities makes it a crowd puller for travellers. The most popular inland destinations were Nanyuki, Naivasha and Maasai Mara.
The frequency of travel for Kenyans was quarterly (31%), when possible (31%) and monthly (20%) showing that Kenyans make a minimum of four trips a year. Their time away is also short, with 72% preferring to spend between 1-3 nights away. Bed and Breakfast (BnBs) are the accommodation of choice (26%) as they are cheaper compared to other options. Resorts, self catering apartments and villas followed with 23%, 7% and 15% respectively.
Most respondents (39%) preferred to travel in groups of between 4-10 people (60%). The favoured means of transportation was by a private vehicle (46.1%) followed by air (27%). Only 1% of Kenyans travel by rail.
A big chunk of Kenyans’ travel budget is spent on accomodation (38%), food and beverage (26%) and transport (24%). 78% of Kenyans also preferred to have Wi-Fi in their hotels.
The biggest factor limiting travel among Kenyans was cost at 36% followed by lack of proper information (26%). Social media has the biggest influence on Kenyans’ travel plans at 35%. Most Kenyans will be moved to make travel plans after viewing a post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or a blog (11%).
You can download the full report here.