Vacant upcountry homes offer perfect accommodation

Tourists working on a tea firm in Nyeri County during a homestay. Homestays offer the best vantage point for tourists to soak it all up. Right now most tourists visiting Kenya are far removed from the true spirit and pulse of the country and its diversity. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • A homestay is simply a private residence with paying guests who enjoy staying in the comfort and security of a family home.
  • Most people package their homestays simply in terms of bed and breakfast and then throw in a few add-ons like wireless internet, transport and laundry.
  • Right now most tourists visiting Kenya are far removed from the true spirit and pulse of the country and its diversity.

By SOLOMON MBURU

As with any new trend, the growing homestay sector in Kenya has generated much interest.

What has captured the minds of many Kenyans is the possibility of making extra cash using vacant upcountry homes or homes with extra rooms.


Many people have tried their hand in this area but very few have succeeded. The reason mainly has to do with the strategy most people are using.


To begin with, a homestay is simply a private residence with paying guests who enjoy staying in the comfort and security of a family home.


Home stays open a whole new world to tourists, exposing them to the real thriving culture of their travel destination as opposed to being confined in hotel rooms and game reserves with little interaction with the local culture.


As it is, all factors needed for the success of homestays in Kenya seem to be just right. Everything seems perfect.


First, we have thousands of wonderful fully furnished upcountry homes most of which are vacant since their owners live and work in towns.


To complement these, Kenya is also a boiling pot of diversity.

Talk of cultures from 42 different tribes, history that transcends races and goes to the beginnings of mankind, geography that ranges from semi arid deserts to tropical rain forests, mountains, lakes, food, clothing, agriculture, the list is endless.


Homestays offer the best vantage point for tourists to soak it all up.

The obvious question then is; why are many who are trying their hand in homestays not succeeding?

The first and most critical reason is their definition of the homestay product. Most people package their homestays simply in terms of bed and breakfast and then throw in a few add-ons like wireless internet, transport and laundry.


This places their homestays in direct competition with budget hotels which offer these and many more services and amenities at a very low price. At the rate budget hotels are springing up all over, it is highly unlikely that such homestays will break through any time soon.


When defining and packaging homestays, it is highly important to focus on what homestays offer that cannot be offered in hotels, lodges, resorts and the like.


And this in a nutshell has everything to do with their connection with the living culture in the grassroots. This means homestays should be packaged as a platform for guests to experience the local culture.


So instead of throwing in wireless or laundry, one should throw in the best nyama choma joint in town, hidden attractions like the natural swimming pool you used to go skinny dipping when you were kids, the coffee or tea that grows in your farm and of course the best place you can listen to local benga or mugithi tunes over a pint.


The only thing to do is to package it in a language that makes sense to a holiday maker. Great destinations in Europe such as France and Britain are doing this.


In the South of Britain for instance, homestays in Tenyham are based on farming of the famous English Cherries and this has created a major tourist attraction.


Another thing that really hampers many homestays is pricing with some charging very little that they end up not making anything or even operating at a loss.


It is not hard to find homestays charging $15 per night. This includes breakfast and dinner! Such homestays owners soon realize it doesn’t make financial sense.


To get the best charges for your homestay it is good to seek professional help or if you can’t, use this simple strategy.

Get the lowest figure that tourists pay in budget hotels in your area.

Using this as a ceiling, rate your homestay in relative comparison with other homestays in the area and then put a figure to your service.

Remember it is important that you offer value for the client’s money.

Therefore do not overcharge if your facilities and the services you offer do not conform.


The last and most important area where most fail is marketing.

As most homestays are small family run non commercial facilities, getting the marketing right is a big problem.

Even with good facilities, most end up not getting any clients.

The best entry strategy for new homestays to start with is to offer their homestays to local hotels as a place to host their overflow.

Of course they will first inspect your facility to see whether it conforms to the standards expected by their guests.


Another way to market which can be highly effective is online marketing.

You can open a Facebook account, twitter account and then join travel websites such as www.localyte.com or www.couchsurfing.org and post your home’s profile.


Keep updating your profile.

A homestays association would help homestays to pool their resources in marketing and this would be a great boost.

However there is yet no stable association of homestays in Kenya but there are efforts to create one.


Registering your homestay with the ministry of tourism will also provide you with an added marketing platform which the ministry hopes to create soon.


The ministry has already created guidelines and regulations which are specifically meant for homestays.

Registering with the ministry and implementing these regulations will allow you to take advantage of this option once it is implemented.

The decision to mainstream homestays by the government has been informed by the pressing need to diversify Kenya’s tourism product in line with changing trends global tourism.


Diversification lends itself as the only way to beat the growing generic competition.

African destinations like Namibia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and even Rwanda are becoming stiff competitors and may soon zoom past Kenya in visitor numbers.

Gone are the days when Kenya was the premier Safari destination.

In fact South Africa has literally swept the ‘Safari’ concept away from Kenya.


Continuing to hang on to wildlife and beaches as the only product is like hanging on to a straw in raging waters.

The only way forward is to diversify.

The key thing for Kenya’s tourism industry is to get as close to the grassroots as possible where all of Kenya’s diversity lies.

Right now most tourists visiting Kenya are far removed from the true spirit and pulse of the country and its diversity.


They are shielded in 4wheel tour vans looking out through the windows or in star hotels and lodges where the only human contact they come across is with waiters, room cleaners and fellow tourists.

Changing this situation will not happen overnight.


The mainstreaming of homestays tourism by Kenya’s tourism authorities is a step in the right direction.

The UN World Tourism Organization says global cultural tourism of which homestays is a part of is growing at the rate of 25% annually.


This means that more tourists will be seeking these ‘out of the box’ experiences moving away from the normal tourist march.

Being a market driven concept means one only has to align their homestays product with the market needs.

Comparing what you are offering in terms of homestays with what other countries are offering is also important.

It will give you valuable clues on what you can do better and what you can correct.