Holiday makers at the Jomo Kenyatta public beach in Mombasa during last
year's Easter break. Many hotels have recorded full bookings ahead of
the holiday weekend. Photo | kevin Odit | NMG
Summary
- Hotels say local tourists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda have boosted their Easter bookings.
- Tourism operators bank on long holiday weekend for increased business.
- Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has recently blamed over-reliance on seasonal foreign tourists for loss of Kenya's competitive edge.
Hoteliers at the South Coast are optimistic of booming business during the Easter holiday that begins Friday.
Some of the establishments are already fully booked as holidaymakers trickle in to the resort town of Diani for festivities.
Hotels say local tourists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda have boosted their Easter bookings.
Jacaranda
Indian Ocean Beach Resort General Manager, Dickson Ogolla, said the
hotel has 60 per cent bookings for Easter, adding that he expects the
number to increase before Friday.
"We expect the bookings to increase to 80 per cent as more
guests from upcountry will be trickling down for the celebrations," he
said today.
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and
Caterers (KAHC) Coast branch executive officer Sam Ikwaye and Kenya
Tourism Federation (KTF) chairman Mohamed Hersi said operators were
banking on the long weekend for increased business.
They say most hotels in the region are enjoying 70 to 80 per cent bed capacity with camps enjoying 60 per cent.
“We
are doing fine. Easter has come quite early this time in March rather
than April. We are looking at good occupancies although again Kenyans
are very good in last minute bookings. We are optimistic the hotels will
be full,” Mr Hersi said.
“Try to
book a flight to Mombasa or Madarara Express you won’t find any. That
just tells you many Kenyans are travelling,” he added.
Kaskazi
Beach Hotel general manager Imtyaz Ahmed Mirza echoed the sentiment,
saying his hotel currently has an occupancy of 95 per cent.
Baobab
Beach Resort also confirmed a 100 per cent occupancy rate, with 50 per
cent of guests being locals while the rest are international visitors.
Marketing pays off
Mr Ikwaye reckons that the increased business from the region is due to marketing.
“There
has been a lot of investments in terms of marketing in Kwale. Players
in the sector have gone to World Travel Market and Uganda to source for
tourists. They have upped their marketing budget and it is paying off,”
he said.
He says quelled political temperatures and continued peace have also boosted tourist confidence.
“Many
people didn’t travel in December due to the rising political
temperatures. They now have a reason to take holidays and schools will
also be closed. We are in the end of high season. Accessibility due to
road network has really helped,” he added.
Despite the
positive prospects ahead of the Easter holiday, Cabinet Secretary Najib
Balala has recently blamed over-reliance on seasonal foreign tourists
for loss of Kenya's competitive edge in the global market.
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