The Determinants of Tourists’ Accommodation Choice in Nandi County, Kenya

Abstract

Despite Nandi County having a variety of accommodation facilities such as guest houses, hotels, service apartments, cottages and lodges, these accommodation facilities experience low occupancy rates. This may be linked to tourists’ choice of accommodation. Therefore, general objective of the study was to examine factors influencing tourists’ accommodation choice in Nandi County in Kenya. The study used concurrent explanatory research design and data collected using questionnaires and a structured interview guide. From a target population of 2,560 accommodation guests, the study adopted a sample size of 334 guests. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Additionally, 16 general accommodation facility managers were purposively selected and interviewed. Quantitative data was analyzed using multiple regression while the qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The study was guided by the rational choice theory which explains the decisions of individuals over one particular preference from other available options.