Hotels partnering with airlines to woo Kenyans to tour the Coast

The tourism sector has stepped up efforts to partner with local airlines to fly in tourists from the capital as they offer lower prices in order to attract visitors this festive season and battle the effects of insecurity.

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), through its Tembea Kenya campaign, aggressively marketed domestic tourism, encouraging locals to go on holiday especially at the Coast, which was hit hard by the international tourist drought.

National carrier Kenya Airways and other local airlines such as Fly540, Air Kenya and Safarilink partnered with hotels in Mombasa, Diani and Malindi in offering special holiday packages to local tourists.

According to KQ marketing director Chris Diaz, the carrier and coast hotels’ partnership was aimed at reviving the sector since the region had been hit hard by shortage of international guests.

“As a Kenyan flag carrier, KQ fully supports the tourism sector through offering competitive flights to tourists on safari or beach holidays,” he said.

“We have partnered with hotels across the coast to give locals quality holiday packages and in the process help tourism recovery efforts,” he explained.

Mr Diaz said the carrier would increase its flights from Nairobi to Mombasa during the festive season.

He noted that for Christmas, KQ’s Boeing 777-300, a 400-seater plane, would ferry passengers from Nairobi to Mombasa as many Kenyans head to the Coast for the festivities.

PARTNER LOCAL AIRLINES

Kenya Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi said last month that some hotels in the region partnered with local airlines in order to boost occupancy.

He noted that individual hotels have been offering special holiday offers to encourage Kenyans from Nairobi and upcountry to travel to the Coast for holiday.

Since September, hotels reduced their holiday rates for locals at between 30 per cent and 50 per cent in effort to woo tourists from the domestic market.

On the other hand, he said, local airlines including KQ and Fly540 have been supporting the domestic holiday initiative by offering local travellers competitive flight rates.

He noted that following the hotels and airlines partnerships occupancy in Mombasa has leaped from 35 per cent to between 70 per cent and 80 per cent this month. Mr Hersi, who is also the Heritage Hotels chief executive officer said Voyager Hotel, Mombasa, has since last month been partnering with the local airlines to offer Kenyans an accommodation and flight holiday package. For person sharing for two nights – accommodation and flight – Voyager Hotel charges less than Sh30,000 down from the normal holiday rate of Sh45,000.

BUS FIRMS

Mr Hersi said the hotel has also partnered with bus firms such as Coast Bus and Modern Coast for locals from Nairobi who cannot afford to travel by air.

Heritage Hotels, he said, has also been wooing local tourists through social media and online travel agencies.

The Voyager Hotel, he said, this month has occupancy of between 80 per cent and 90 per cent and is expected to be full during Christmas and New Year.

In the South Coast, Baobab Beach Resort general manager Sylvester Mbandi said the hotel had partnered with Safarilink, Fly540 and Air Kenya to offer locals special holiday rates.

He said the holiday package include accommodation at Baobab Beach Resort, Kole Kole and Maridadi hotels in Diani plus flights from Nairobi to Ukunda Airstrip.

The three-night holiday package, he said, include transfer of holidaymakers to and from the airstrip to the hotels.

He said holiday packages for Fly540 are three nights stay at Sh35,500 per person sharing while Safarilink charges Sh39,000 per person sharing on three nights stay.

For Air Kenya, he said, the holiday package is at Sh41,500 per person sharing on a three nights stay.

Mr Mbandi added that the hotels participated in the recent Sarit Expo and Magical Kenya Expo in Nairobi where they landed bookings for the festive season.

“Due to the airlines partnerships, our participation in the Nairobi travel and tourism expo and marketing across the East African region, our hotels are at the moment are enjoying 80 per cent occupancy,” he said.

In the Sarova Zawadi Card Club, hotels guests are able to be rewarded with holidays through the points they earn from accommodation and food they buy from Sarova Hotels.

He added that through the Ozone club, the Hotel group has been able to attract families.