Easter hotel bookings drop over security fears
What you need to know:
- He said that during the holiday the hotel expects bookings to stand at 45 per cent, down from between 60 per cent and 70 per cent last year.
- They preferred Naivasha, the world famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve and other parts of the Rift Valley.
- “Only 10 per cent of our guests are from the international market while the rest are locals and conference participants,” he said.
- Tamarind Village General Manager Victor Shitakha said the hotel would not achieve a 100 per cent occupancy rate during Easter given the low bookings.
Hotels in Mombasa County are not expected to be packed to capacity during the coming Easter holiday, due to security fears.
Normally, Kenyans from Nairobi and upcountry flock to the Coast region with their families for Easter celebrations. But this time, they are likely to spend the long Christian holiday elsewhere.
According to Sai Rock Hotel General Manager Robert Kiri, bookings by holidaymakers from Nairobi have been sluggish. He said local tourists feel Mombasa is unsafe.
He said during a travel and tourism fair in Nairobi last week, the hotel did not secure a lot of bookings for Easter as Kenyan tourists avoided Mombasa. They preferred Naivasha, the world famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve and other parts of the Rift Valley.
Mr Kiri said some Kenyans who normally celebrate Easter in Mombasa told him that they would spend the holiday in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, which they consider safe.
“There is need for Mombasa county officials to address the thorny issue of radicalisation of the youth. The youth carry out attacks targeting Christians. This scares away tourists,” he added.
Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels General Manager Silas Kiti said bookings for Easter by both local and international tourist were low.
45pc BOOKED
He said that during the holiday the hotel expects bookings to stand at 45 per cent, down from between 60 per cent and 70 per cent last year.
“At the moment, the hotel has an occupancy rate of 29 per cent, with 4 per cent being international tourists,” he said. “We don’t expect to be busy during Easter as bookings from both the local and international tourist markets are low.”
Travellers Beach Hotel General Manager Freddie Kiuru said he expected an occupancy rate of 60 per cent during Easter as bookings were low compared to last year.
Currently, he added, the hotel had an occupancy rate of 50 per cent due to conferences, and a few local and international guests.
“Only 10 per cent of our guests are from the international market while the rest are locals and conference participants,” he said.
Tamarind Village General Manager Victor Shitakha said the hotel would not achieve a 100 per cent occupancy rate during Easter given the low bookings.
As a result, he added that the hotel was targeting 70 per cent bookings, mainly from the domestic market.
“We are depending on corporate functions and locals to stay afloat as the number of international guests has taken a plunge,” he said.
