West Africa spent an average Sh10,410 per day on accommodation in Kenya, outspending tourists from the richer nations in Europe and US.
Visitors from countries like Nigeria and Cameroon splashed more compared to their counterparts from Switzerland (Sh7, 779), United Kingdom (Sh7, 511) and Americans (7, 177), according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) survey.
The Middle East nations like Qatar, Switzerland and the US are multiple time wealthier than the West Africa countries.
Nigeria and Cameroon have a GDP person of $1, 224 and $1, 972, respectively, compared with the US ($95, 212), Switzerland ($124, 478) and Ireland ($127, 837).
The accommodation spend of West Africans was followed by visitors from North Africa (Sh8,627) and East and Central Africa at Sh8,492, says the survey dubbed the Inbound Tourism Expenditure.
Inbound tourists survey is conducted at the end of the trip when travelers have completed their stay in the country, and they have spent on goods and services during their visit.
Notably, the spending gap between West African and EAC visitors stood at Sh6,529 per day, with West African visitors spending about 2.7 times as much on accommodation.
‘Residents of West and North Africa had the highest spending at Sh10,410 and Sh8,627 on accommodation, respectively and the least being those from EAC region at Sh3,881,’ the survey notes.
‘Tourist expenditure is a central component of inbound tourism as it reflects the actual economic impact of international visitors on the host country. It comprises spending on a wide range of goods and services, including accommodation, transport, food and drinks, shopping, entertainment, tour services, and other travel-related activities,’ the statistics agency said.
The survey also shows that spending varies considerably according to the purpose of travel, with visitors in transit and those attending meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) recording the highest daily accommodation expenditure.
Visitors in transit spent an average Sh8,233 per day, narrowly ahead of MICE travellers at Sh8,198.
Business and professional visitors followed at Sh6,565, while holidaymakers spent Sh5,630 daily.
Hotels remained the dominant accommodation facility, accounting for 52.1 percent in the survey’s visitor distribution breakdown.
Staying with friends or relatives accounted for 25.6 percent, while vacation rentals, including Airbnb properties, represented 9.6 percent.
Lodges accounted for 9.4 percent, apartments 5.4 percent and campsites 2.9 percent.
The prominence of hotels comes as demand for accommodation continues to expand. Kenya recorded 11.56 million hotel-bed nights in 2025, up from 10.26 million in 2024, a 12.7 percent increase.
Hotel-bed nights have more than doubled from 5.52 million in 2021, rising to 7.01 million in 2022 and 8.63 million in 2023 before reaching 11.56 million last year.
The accommodation and food service industry’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) also increased to 1.7 percent in 2025 from 1.6 percent in 2024 and 1.3 percent in 2023.
For tourism operators, the spending data offer a basis for refining market strategies around visitor origin, travel purpose and accommodation preferences.
The relatively high daily spending recorded among West African visitors, MICE travellers and visitors in transit provides a starting point for identifying customer segments with potentially higher accommodation yields.