TripAdvisor, the influential American travel website , has voted Nairobi third place in its “Top destinations on the rise – world” category.

The capital came third after Ishigaki in Japan and Kapaa in Hawaii, and was followed by Halifax (Canada), Gdansk (Poland), San Jose (Costa Rica), Riga (Latvia), Rovinj (Croatia), Nerja (Spain) and Casablanca (Morocco).

Although not a major league award, the category of ‘…on the rise – world’ indicates an increasing interest and awareness of Nairobi as a growing tourist destination. The annual ‘Travellers Choice Awards’ are derived from millions of votes cast by TripAdvisor subscribers.

“The winners were decided using an algorithm that measures the year-on-year increase in positive TripAdvisor ratings for restaurants, hotels and attractions, plus the number of destination bookings compared to previous years,” Last year Nairobi did not even make the final ten places, in this category.

TripAdvisor says :

“Known as the safari capital of Africa, Nairobi is an energetic, modern city that serves as a fascinating introduction to both wildlife and nightlife. Music clubs pulse with life, shops and markets bustle, and a mélange of restaurants will tempt your palate in this former Maasai watering hole,”.

Amongst an extensive list of 485 things to do whilst in Kenya, TripAdvisor names the top three ‘must see’ Nairobi attractions as

• David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• Nairobi National Park
• Nairobi National Museum

As for Nairobi accommodation, The Hemingsways Hotel in Karen receives the “top pick” position with 41 guest reviews awarding an average of 9.3/10 points.

KENYA VOTED WORLD TOP SAFARI DESTINATION

In December 2017, Kenya was for the fourth time voted as the world’s leading safari destination in the 24th World Travel Awards 2017.