Tourism sector shifts focus to domestic visitors

Tourists enjoy the beach at a hotel at the Coast. The tourism industry has shifted focus from over-reliance on foreign tourists to conferencing and packages for domestic visitors. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• Hotel owners say county governments are now their lifeline with owners tapping into seminars to remain afloat following a slump in international arrivals.
• Tourism industry has shifted focus from an over-reliance on foreign tourists to conferencing and packages for domestic visitors.
• 2000: The number of people that can be accommodated in one of the conference rooms of Eden Rock Hotel.

By MAZERA NDURYA
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A new investment wave has hit the tourism industry as focus shifts from over-reliance on foreign tourists to conferencing and packages for domestic visitors.

Hotel owners say county governments are now their lifeline with owners tapping into seminars to remain afloat following a slump in international arrivals.

Mr Farid Nizar, the general manager of Sai Eden Rock Hotel in Malindi said there would be nothing to talk about in the north Coast, which has over the years over-relied on the Italian market, were it not for devolution.

He said the hotel industry in Malindi has been kept going through seminars and workshops, especially from Lamu, Tana River and Kilifi counties.

As a result, Mr Nizar said, the hotel had invested in a modern conference centre, one of the biggest in the north Coast, that will seat between 1,500 and 2,000 participants at one go.

“This is the only way out for us even though there are indications that foreign tourists will start visiting following the lifting of several travel advisories.

‘‘We have also teamed up with the local communities and the National Museums of Kenya to host cultural festivals showcasing the diversity in the region to attract more domestic tourists,” he said.

Mr Nizar spoke as plans for the inaugural interfaith Music and Film Festival get under way.

The event, to be held in Malindi next month, will also include guest performers in music and film, with renowned artistes and film personalities from Kenya and East Africa.

The general manager of Karibuni Villas in Malindi, Mrs Glory Ndege, who hosted the inaugural meeting said peaceful coexistence and promotion of culture would help in the campaign to revive the ailing tourism industry.

“We have over the years concentrated on the traditional attractions of sandy beaches and the sun, forgetting that our rich cultural heritage that cuts across tribes and religions could also be harnessed to promote domestic tourism,” she said.
Last month Karibuni Villas sponsored a cultural tour for the winner of Miss Hando competition to Zanzibar and Tanzania to lure regional visitors to the Kenyan Coast.

Besides tourism, the group said the event will also address the thorny issue of drugs and substance abuse, Security and integration and cohesion of communities and faiths in the region and the country.