Hoteliers optimistic as domestic tourism picks up

By Antony Gitonga

Hoteliers now say that the tourism sector which was the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic is on the recovery trail.

A month after the travel regulations were eased by the government, they noted that domestic tourism was on the rise with the majority of the hotels opening up.

According to the Enashipai Resort & Spa Marketing Director, Wanjeri Mahiti they were now relying on the domestic visitors to turn around the sector’s fortune.

She expressed optimism about the recovery, citing leisure tourism as one of the areas that was showing remarkable improvement.

“The conference market is taking a bit longer to recover due to the Covid-19 restrictions, especially on international travels,” she pointed out.

Mahiti revealed that October has shown tremendous growth, hoping for better tidings in the coming months.
She highlighted the pros and cons of the pandemic, with a case of point being hybrid events with some of the members attending meetings physically, while others logging to the meeting use the zoom technology.

“This is what we are actually beginning to see in the conference market and I strongly believe the

Mahiti said the conference market had registered about 30 per cent growth. “However, the leisure market has improved, especially for December bookings,” she added.

The marketing director was quick to admit that most of the players were yet to recall their employees, saying the re-hiring will be gradual.

Pesapal chief executive officer, Mark Mwongela urged women in the tourism sector to embrace technology to survive the competition.

“Being innovative is the way to go for women keen on surviving the cutthroat competition from an industry reeling from the ripple effects of Covid-19,” he said.

Mwongela urged women in the tourism sector to take stock of the missed targets and leverage on technology to recoup the losses.

The chairperson of Kenya Association of Women in Tourism (Kawt), Jane Adam admitted that her members were struggling in the wake of the pandemic, saying they were partnering with strategic partners with a hope of a rebound.