Party is over for hoteliers

Tourists arriving at Moi international airport in Mombasa during the just concluded festive season. Photo/FILE

After enjoying an influx during the festive season, many hotels have started facing the reality of domestic tourism as people get back to business.

From as high as full occupancy in the Christmas and New Year period, some hotels have already fallen below 50 per cent. Domestic tourism was a major boost to an industry recovering from the slump caused by the post-election violence. Most tourists including charter planes diverted to other destinations.

Hoteliers who are still smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to the festive season, now want the government to help spread domestic tourism throughout the year. “We made some very good business but that is not enough to make up for the losses that we made during the ‘dry season’ when most hotels were doing less than 40 per cent,” said the chairman of the Malindi and Watamu branch of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers Isaac Rodrot.

He said the domestic tourism could still be harnessed to sustain the industry even during lean times either due to the advent of low season or in case of a calamity like what happened at the beginning of 2008.

“Even when the local tourists visit the Coast for instance, they only know about the beach and very little about the other attractions that the country offers which would also draw many visitors,” said Mr Rodrot, who is the general manager of Club Temple Point in Watamu, Malindi.

“The potential for growth in local tourism is great but there has to be a deliberate move to provide information so people do not just crowd during the Christmas and New Year yet there are other areas like the heritage sites, cultural centres, game parks that are available throughout the year.”

He said little was being highlighted about tourism especially in the media, which dwells more on politics and calamities leaving out an important area that is the lifeline of the Kenya’s economy.

Mr Titus Kangangi, the general manager of Sunrise Resort and Spa, said the coming of visitors from the Eastern and Central African region is an added advantage that needs to be tapped fully.

“We got visitors from Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and the biggest challenge now is to ensure that we keep them and more coming not just during the festive season but on normal holidays,” he said.

Mr Kangangi said there is need to demystify the Coast as a beach destination, adding that there are many areas that hoteliers and the government can exploit to enrich the experience of holiday seekers.

Most of the hotels at the Coast lowered their rates for local tourists, leading the overwhelming turnout during the festive season. But the problem is that while most hotels enjoyed more than 100 per cent occupancy, the huge number was still far beyond the number of facilities available.

More than 200,000 people who visited the Coast against about 32,000 beds, which means even with the money they were ready to spend most of them did not get what they were looking for. They were competing with foreigners who alone fill the hotels during the high tourist season.

Tourism minister Najib Balala, while commending the contribution domestic tourism has made, said there is need to diversify the tourism product.

“We also need to widen our marketing scope so Kenyans can learn more about their country, something that will also help them in planning for their holidays.

“There is need to change the perception and tradition that Kenyans can only go on holiday during the Christmas and New Year but to encourage them to take advantage of the other times during the year so that the benefits can be spread throughout the year,” he said.

Mr Balala noted that while Kenya had a lot to offer, the government still had to address the issue of infrastructure especially those leading to major attractions like national parks.