Investors urge State to beef up security to improve tourism

Tourism investors at the Coast have called on the government to stem the wave of insecurity across the region, saying it might adversely affect their industry.

They said a series of terrorist attacks and other crimes recently experienced in the region could bring tourism on its knees if urgent measures were not put in place to address the matter.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Coast branch vice-chairman Vickram Korla said the kidnapping of several Europeans in Lamu in October last year was a major blow to tourism in the archipelago.

He said that in March, terrorists simultaneously bombed a Christian prayer meeting at Mtwapa and a bar in Tononoka, leaving one person dead and 33 others injured.

Last Monday, two watchmen were killed by unknown attackers who raided the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission offices in Msambweni.

Then on Tuesday night, three terrorists lobbed three grenades into Bella Vista nightclub in Mombasa where one person died while five others are battling for their lives in hospitals.

Speaking to the Nation yesterday in reaction to the Bella Vista attack, the Mr Korla said terrorist attacks and thuggery had earned the country a bad image in Europe and other tourist source markets.

“Time has come for the government to urgently address the frequent terrorist attacks at the Coast as well as the wave of thuggery which is quite alarming,” he said.

He said the bomb and grenade attacks were beamed around the world by foreign media to suggest that Kenya was no longer a safe destination for tourists.

Hoteliers and tour operators, he said, were having a rough time convincing potential tourists to visit the country for holidays.

Mr Korla called on the Kenya Tourist Board to find ways of countering the bad publicity to save the tourism industry.

“There is need for KTB to move with speed and counter the bad publicity caused by foreign media to rescue the industry,” he said.

Alarming levels

Mr Korla, who is also the director of Sentido Hotel Group, pointed out that crime had reached alarming levels in the South Coast.

A few days ago, gangsters raided the home of a senior hotel manager in Diani and made away with valuables.

“In Diani the rate of crime is alarming and hoteliers are worried about their businesses, guests and workers,” he said.

Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi blamed the police for not doing enough to curb crime in the region.

“As tourism stakeholders, we are appalled by the spate of terrorist attacks as they have caused loss of life and damage to businesses,” he said.

He noted that security agencies were only good in responding to crimes which have already happened, rather than preventing them.

“Instead of preventing crimes, our police are just good at rushing to scenes when loss of life and damage to property has already occurred

“After an attack is when you will find hundreds of police officers racing to the scene. Not much is done to prevent crime,” he said. However, he was optimistic that the nightclub attack in Mombasa would not affect tourism now that it is low tourist season.

Mr Hersi was hopeful that the attacks would not have an impact since tourists were not targeted.

Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (Perak) former chief executive officer Sam Ikwaye said the association would soon hold sensitisation campaigns for its members to prevent attacks.

He said they planned to hold awareness campaigns in Nairobi on June 7 and Mombasa on June 20.

Mr Ikwaye added that the association would involve bomb experts in the awareness drives to equip Perak members with knowledge on how to overcome attacks.