Summary
- Perak, an association with 70 paid-up members in Nairobi as of the last quarter, now wants to market night clubs and restaurants as tourist attractions, just as hoteliers and Kenya Tourism Board sells beaches, bush and wildlife.
- With over 4,000 licensed establishments in Nairobi alone, the city and other towns such as Malindi and Nakuru could join the countless destinations across the globe for clubbing enthusiasts to explore.
- Some of the top picks for a party globally, where visitors flock, include Ibiza and Las Vegas.
Neon lights flicker, the dance floor is full of ravers waving
their arms wildly, others are seated in cozy beige sofas watching big TV
screens. Some men take videos of themselves gyrating while two women
hand out shots of tequila, lemon and salt. A bartender stops to dance
with a raver before walking back with a tray, balancing drinks with one
hand.
It is 2am at Kiza Lounge in Nairobi and this is
just one offering in Kenya's flourishing nightlife scene, which pub
owners are seeking to start marketing as the next foreign tourist
attraction.
At another nightclub in Nairobi, Brew
Bistro, a mix of old-school, Bongo, Blues and Nigerian music croon from
the large speakers.
“What can I get you? We have all
kind of drinks. However, today, there an offer for Jack Daniel's served
with ribs at Sh8,000,” a male waiter shouts amid the noise.
Here,
it is not only the good music and ambience that entice party animals.
Just like most clubs in Kenya, food, especially grilled meats and
creative cocktails draw customers in troves who come to midweek and
weekend gigs.
From cocktail bars to glitzy nightclubs perched atop high-rise
buildings, entertainment joints have mushroomed at full speed and they
could soon attract globetrotting party animals.
“People
love to visit a good pub or restaurant either after work or just to
enjoy with their friends. They are constantly looking for a good hangout
place, where to get entertained and have a good nightlife or share
drinks,” says Alice Opee, the national chair of Pubs, Entertainment and
Restaurants Association of Kenya (Perak).
However,
Alice says despite Nairobi ranking among the top cities in Africa with a
thriving nightlife, Kenya has not positioned itself as a clubbing
destination to grow its tourist arrivals.
Perak,
an association with 70 paid-up members in Nairobi as of the last
quarter, now wants to market night clubs and restaurants as tourist
attractions, just as hoteliers and Kenya Tourism Board sells beaches,
bush and wildlife.
With over 4,000 licensed
establishments in Nairobi alone, the city and other towns such as
Malindi and Nakuru could join the countless destinations across the
globe for clubbing enthusiasts to explore. Some of the top picks for a
party globally, where visitors flock, include Ibiza and Las Vegas.
“Pubs,
entertainment joints and restaurants in major cities including Mombasa
and Kisumu have not had the optimum chance to show off to dwellers and
visitors. Whenever tourists visit or a foreigner settles in a country,
they hope for a thriving entertainment industry. We have not given
Nairobi the limelight it deserves,” she said.
Mohamed
Hersi, the Kenya Tourism Federation chairman said even as hoteliers are
marketing the rooms, visitors want to experience life away from the
exquisite rooms and dousing in the swimming pools.
“Visitors
check into the hotels, then they ask for pubs and restaurants, why
can’t we sell these as additional attractions,” he said in a meeting of
hoteliers, tour operators and guides in Nairobi. Already, club owners
have invested heavily to give the entertainment spots a plush look,
similar to those found in top party cities, with some adding casinos and
kitchens.
“Most night clubs are now compelled to sell
good food with beer or whisky. Others have gone an extra mile to invest
in separate smoking sections,” Alice says.
However, DJ
KRich, says to compete with Ibiza, a small Spanish party island
attracting over three million tourists, with Britons making up the
majority of incoming travellers, Kenyan investors “need to think outside
the box and create new club designs including dance floors.”
“Every
nightclub attracts a different crowd. The millennials have become a
great influence in the clubbing scene. However, most clubs have a
similar design. Open-air designs will cater for shisha smokers, for
instance. Nightclub owners need to create new experiences,” says the DJ
who has played for joints in Nairobi, Meru and Nanyuki.
He adds that local DJs also have a role to play in attracting clubbing tourists.
“The
DJs need not to be hooked to common genre of music. Include Old School,
Kenyan music to attract revellers in their 30s and 40s who have a
higher spending power,” he adds.
A similar taste in
music and food among revellers globally, driven by easy Internet access
and disruptive technology, Perak says, makes Kenya’s nightlife
attractive to any tourist who visits.
To market the
clubs and entertainment joints, the national body is keen to be featured
on Kenya Airways (KQ) in-flight magazines and affiliated flight
companies.
“The focus has been on coastal towns and
Nairobi, especially on hotels offering accommodation and drinks,” said
Uyi Edokpolo, the acting CEO of Perak.
The
clubbing scene has already received a boast from likes of CNN
journalist Richard Quest who visited Galileo's Lounge in Nairobi.
“He
spent an evening at Galileo’s Lounge while staying at Sankara Hotel.
Recently, Kenya Tourism Board members visited ABC Place in Westlands and
plan to start marketing them as a tourist destination,” Uyi says.
Driven
by a new crop of travellers, Uyi adds that there is some level of
evolving happening in the industry as some investors move from just
having nice-looking clubs and charging exorbitant prices to creating
experiences. Demand for experiential travel is growing globally, as
adventurers look out for authentic activity-based travel experiences,
whether that is mountain hikes or club hopping.
“For
instance, Century Club in Nairobi has created different phases to cater
for all demographics such as having Sundays set aside for old school
music serving for 35 to 50 years age, Tuesday for reggae, Wednesday for
rumba. This kind of concept is transitioning in almost all night clubs,”
he says.
Dan Ouma, a club owner and the Kisumu Bar
Owners Association chair says, in partnership with Kenya Tourism Board,
the county has also been showcasing what is available in the region
among them Rusinga Island. In Kisumu, over 400 pubs and restaurants are
registered under Perak.
“We have been lagging behind in
inclusion to serve travellers. Our intention is to have tour firms add
Western region as part of the clients' itinerary,” Dan says. About 20
tour firms have visited Western Kenya, with hopes of selling its hotels,
beaches, nightlife, wildlife and culture.
Alice is optimistic that once Kenya starts attracting clubbing tourists, the industry will create more jobs.
“On
average, an entertainment joint employs between 10 to 100 people aged
between 21 to 35 years, and some owners own five outlets in Nairobi
alone. Bars and restaurants are among the top taxpayers and employers,
currently paying 16 percent and two percent levy to Kenya Revenue
Authority and Tourism Fund respectively. This is exclusive of water,
waste and drainage collection and license fees paid to respective
counties. Such contributions and collaboration with other industries
like alcohol and beverages and agribusiness, local farmers, has made us
see the growth we can bring to especially by attracting international
and local tourists,” she says.
Despite this, the
industry is facing restrictions and regulations that has seen closure of
popular joints. While the statutory requirements set the levels
permissible at are 55 decibel (d B) during the day and 35 d B at night,
cases of non-compliance have been on the high due to conflicting
regulations.
“This becomes a chicken-and-egg situation.
If you open an establishment in an area and later a school, residential
or offices come up, who has to vacate when you all got licenses?,”
Alice says.
ekivuva@ke.nationmedia.com
No comments :
Post a Comment