Peak July season offers no respite as serious tourist drought persists

PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT Tourists rest at the Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa on May 20, 2014. Tourist numbers have dropped drastically following the issuance of travel advisories by Western nations.

What you need to know:

  • Occupancy at coast hotels averages 30 per cent
  • Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi says there has not been a single charter flight from the UK to Mombasa following the advisories.
  • Charter flights to Mombasa are down to about 10 a week from 20 a week last year.

The arrival of the month of July usually brings good tidings to the tourism industry. The high season in the Kenyan tourism calendar begins on July 15, and the cost of accommodation sometimes doubles overnight as resorts try to cash in on the outpouring of tourists.

Not so this year. As July 15 approaches, there is foreboding in the industry that has received a double blow in the past few months: a series of terrorist attacks and stepped-up travel advisories issued by Western nations that are Kenya’s biggest source market.

Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi says there has not been a single charter flight from the UK to Mombasa following the advisories.

“Following the travel advisories, the region has been hit by a tourist drought,” he said. “The loss of the British visitors is a big setback as the UK is the country’s leading source market.”

Mr Hersi, who is also the CEO of Heritage Hotels, says that although the attacks on Mpeketoni and nearby settlements occurred in non-tourist areas, they don’t augur well for the sector.

“For tourism to recover, the authorities should urgently address the security threat to ensure the safety of Kenyans and visitors,” he said. “No matter what marketing efforts we use in the traditional source markets, it will not be easy to win back the confidence of tourists unless the travel advisories are lifted.”

According to the official, occupancy at hotels at the Coast is averaging between 30 to 40 per cent, compared to 60 to 70 per cent in the same period last year.

CHARTERED FLIGHTS DOWN

Furthermore, charter flights to Mombasa are down to about 10 a week from 20 a week last year.

Sam Ikwaye, Coast branch executive officeer of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, voiced similar sentiments, saying foreign governments will only lift the travel warnings if the country regains its reputation as a safe destination.

The KAHC official also called on the government to waive the 16 per cent value added tax on tourism to help bring down the cost of holiday packages.

He said the introduction of VAT on tourism last year was among the factors contributing to the sector’s decline as potential tourists opted for cheaper destinations. He also asked the government to allocate funds to market the country in both traditional and emerging markets.

The tourism sector has suffered a sharp decline in recent months following a string of attacks in Lamu and Mombasa counties. And although the low volume of international tourists can be attributed to the low season, the terrorist attacks have made things worse.

In May, the UK, US, France and Australia issued or stepped up travel advisories to their citizens, citing the threat of terrorist attacks in Kenya.

The British Foreign Office advised tourists to avoid all but essential travel to Mombasa island, and within five kilometres of the Coast from Mtwapa Creek, north of the city and Tiwi on the South Coast. The British consulate in Mombasa has been closed for the past month.

Following the issuance of the advisories, Thomson and First Choice airlines suspended all charter flights to Mombasa until the end of October.

A tour organiser sent one group of more than 100 British tourists home from the Coast over terrorism fears midway through their stay.

Recently, Jaideep Vohra, the chair of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, proposed that hotels donate $2.5 (Sh221) per guest to go towards marketing the country abroad to help revamp the industry.

Kenya Association of Tour Operators Coast branch chairperson Monika Solanki has asked the government to provide armed escorts for tourists visiting tourist sites after a Russian woman was shot and killed in a robbery in Mombasa’s Old Town last week.