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Mobile phones rule domestic travel bookings

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Most domestic travellers making reservations on Jumia website prefer booking from their mobile phones. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Digital platforms are the predominant source of travel information, suggestions and bookings for most Kenyans.

The Jumia 2018 Travel report shows that 71 per cent of domestic travellers making reservations on its website prefer booking from their mobile phones.

“They are not afraid of new technology solutions especially when mobile based. Over 70 per cent of the visits on our website are from mobile devices in Kenya," said Jumia Travel Chief Operating Officer Estelle Verdier during launch of the report on Tuesday. Three star hotels still remain the most preferred for Kenyans with the report indicating that they attract 35.2 per cent of total bookings.

The report found most travellers aged between 25 and 34 years prefer to do their bookings on their mobiles while 26 per cent do it on the desktops.

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While most bookings are done on the phone, a large fraction of travelers do payments at the hotel. Onyiego said that 52 per cent pay cash on arrival while 32 per cent use mobile transfer services and only 15 per cent use card payment to pay for the hotels.

"Clearly the integration of MPESA with our payment platforms has indicated exciting growth because as you can see the mobile transfer is trusted by most Kenyans," said Jumia Travel Country Manager Cyrus Onyiego.

Three star hotels still remain the most preferred for Kenyans with the report indicating that they attract 35.2 per cent of total bookings while two star and four star hotels attract 30 per cent and 26.4 per cent respectively.

Nairobi stands as the most popular destination with 35 percent of travelers followed by Mombasa with 30 per cent while Diani attracts 15 per cent of travelers the report indicates.

Jumia Travel records also show that Wi-Fi is one of the most sought after amenities that guests look for in a hotel before booking a stay.