The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) conducted a survey from January 12 to 15, 2021 to assess the extent of recovery of hotels, particularly with the reopening of the economy and continued implementation of the Government measures to mitigate impact of COVID-19. The survey was a follow up to the one conducted in November 2020, with scope expanded to cover more hotels.
The highlights of the Hotels Survey include:
- 97 percent of hotels that were sampled across the country were operating compared to 96 percent in September and 35 percent in May, mainly reflecting the continued easing of COVID-19 restrictions and compliance with the health protocols.
- Employment in the sector continues to recover towards the pre-COVID levels, averaging 57 percent in January 2021 compared with 53 percent in November 2020 and 37 percent in May, all relative to the pre-COVID-19 levels.
- The average bed occupancy, has also continued to recover gradually, averaging 26 percent in December 2020, compared to 23 percent in November and 10 percent in May. The utilization of restaurants and conference services has also improved gradually since May.
- Local guests continued to be the main support of activity in the sector during the COVID-19 period, accounting for over 84 percent and 79 percent of the total clientele for accommodation and restaurant services, respectively.
- Despite the recent resurgence in COVID-19 infections and discovery of new variants of the virus, respondents were optimistic about a strong recovery of the sector once the pandemic is contained. On average, under the prevailing conditions, 50 percent of hotels expect to attain normal (pre- COVID) levels of operations in 2021.
Read the full report here