Kenya makes U-turn in West tourism talks

Tourism secretary Phyllis Kandie. PHOTO | FILE 

By MATHIAS RINGA

Kenya is set to hold negotiations with the West to ease the travel alerts that have seen more than 40 hotels close shop and cost the tourism sector billions of shillings.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie said the government would talk to Britain, the United States, France and Australia that issued travel advisories to their citizens in May.

The travel warnings were issued following a string of gun and grenade attacks in Nairobi, Mombasa and Lamu, but Ms Kandie reckons that the State has now beefed up security.

“We are appealing to the Western countries to review the advisories so that their citizens could come for holiday as Mombasa and other parts of the country are much safer,” she told the Business Daily in Mombasa Tuesday.

Kenya has in the past criticised Britain, the United States, France and Australia for issuing the warnings about travel to Kenya.

Kenya termed the alerts “unfriendly”, saying they only serve to create panic and play into the hands of terrorists.

The alerts have cut the occupancy level at the Coast to below 20 per cent during the high-season, which starts in July, when hotels usually operate at more 90 per cent. Hoteliers say they need bed occupancy of between 60 and 70 per cent to break even.

Charter flights from Europe to Mombasa are below 10 a week compared with 20 weekly flights in the same period last year.

The UK, which is the leading tourist source market for Kenya at the moment doesn’t have even a single charter flight to Mombasa. The low occupancy has seen the hotels cut jobs and place workers on unpaid leave to reduce costs.