Visitors from new markets boost Kenyan tourism

The high number of holidaymakers from non-traditional markets — Eastern Europe and Asia — has boosted tourism at the Kenyan Coast.

Although November is relatively not a busy month for tourism, hotel bed occupancies in North Coast are currently between 70 and 90 per cent compared to 50 and 60 per cent in the same period last year.

Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the rise in international tourist arrivals at the coast has been due to diversification of tourist markets, with many visitors coming from Eastern Europe and Asia.

The increase in the number of visitors in Coast is also due to vigorous marketing campaigns in traditional source markets — the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, he added.

Mr Balala said efforts by the Kenya Tourist Board to spread wings to emerging markets — Russia, Poland, Sweden, Finland, China and India — are paying off as tourists from Eastern Europe are visiting the country for holidays for the first time.

The minister noted that a charter airline from Poland made a maiden flight to Mombasa last month with more than 200 holidaymakers while a Russian airline is expected to bring hundreds of tourists to the coastal town for the first time on Friday.

Apart from the two new entrants, he said, charter airlines from Scandinavian countries — Sweden and Finland — are expected to enter the local skies for the first time in December.

Mr Balala added that the country expects more tourists from emerging markets of the Czech Republic and Hungary between December and early next year.

Holidaymakers from China, he said, have soared to 30,000 this year compared to 20,000 last year, adding that tourist arrivals from India and France are also on the increase.

Marketing efforts

The robust growth of tourist arrivals, he added, demonstrates that the industry has not been affected by the recent abduction of a British woman and French woman in Lamu as they were isolated cases.

Mr Balala made the remarks at Reef Hotel in Mombasa during a Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association (CTA) cocktail party.

“It is encouraging that more holidaymakers are pouring in from new source markets of Eastern Europe after our vigorous campaigns in recent times,” he said.

“We shall extend our marketing efforts to the Czech Republic and Hungary, among other countries, to boost the industry further. Already we have seen tourist numbers from China and India going up,” he added.

CTA chairman Mohamed Hersi said that hotels in the North Coast had registered impressive bookings, thanks to tourist arrivals from new source markets of Eastern Europe.

Mr Hersi added that hotels in the area have bed occupancies of between 70 and 90 per cent compared to 50 and 60 per cent last year.

Bursting at the seams

He said the increase in bed occupancies was as a result of the coming in of charter airlines from Scandinavian countries, Poland and Russia.

“Normally, November is not a busy month, but this time round we have experienced an increase in tourist arrivals due to new airline entrants from Poland and Russia,” he said.

“As we draw towards December, hotels in the region will be bursting at the seams with guests as more holidaymakers will be here to celebrate Christmas and New Year,” he added.

Moi International Airport manager Yatich Kangugo said the number of charter airlines flying to Mombasa from Europe will reach 33 today compared to 29 last year.

Mr Kangugo added that next month the charter airlines are expected to soar to 35 with the entry of airlines from Finland and Sweden.

Apart from that, he said, a charter airline from South Africa, 1time Airline, is expected to fly to Mombasa early next year.