Uber, a cab hailing platform, has revealed the top destinations that Kenyans have visited. This is through a comparative study from 2019 and 2021, showcasing top city trips and holiday destinations. This comes after a year of lockdowns and prolonged periods of global travel bans, with more people now embracing international travel after the bans were lifted in different countries.
In 2019, Dar es Salaam and Kampala were among the top cities that Kenyans travelled to in East Africa. This was followed by Johannesburg, London and Doha in the same year. In 2021, top destinations included Doha, Dar es Salaam, London, Johannesburg and Kampala.
Other cities outside Africa that were popular among Kenyans in 2019 included Washington D.C, New Delhi, Dubai and Toronto, compared to Washington D.C, Toronto, Birmingham and New York City in 2021.
“The uptake in travel is providing a much-needed lifeline to travel and hospitality industries locally and internationally. As more people take trips for business and leisure, Uber is available to provide safe and reliable on-demand rides in cities locally and across the globe,” says Brian Njao, Head of East Africa, Uber.
On the other hand, Kenya being a preferred travel destination saw nationals from the United States, South Africa and Qatar listed as the top nationalities visiting Kenya in 2021.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya has shown steady growth in tourism since 2015. The country’s tourism arrivals grew by 3.9% from 2.02 million tourists in 2018 to 2.05 million tourists in 2019. Domestic tourism numbers in Kenya also grew from 3,645,144 in 2017 to 3,974,243 in 2018, recording a 9.03% growth.
According to Uber’s data, United States ranked the most popular country among Uber riders in EMEA, while five European countries joined the top ten (Portugal, Spain, France, UK and Poland).
To ensure security for drivers and passengers, Uber has introduced safety tools such as the Uber Safety Toolkit. Uber has further developed safety mechanisms in response to COVID-19. This includes a pre-trip safety checklist, a world-first mask recognition technology and a 14-day financial assistance to drivers who have been quarantined by a medical professional due to COVID-19.