Hoteliers and the larger
tourism industry are expecting a boom during next week’s Easter holiday as last-minute
bookings push up occupancy in most hotels in key destinations.
Industry trends
have identified the beach destinations of Mombasa and Diani as the most preferred
with the domestic market being the main driver of tourism activities during this
period, that has also come with closure of schools.
Other key
destinations that have received high bookings are Masai Mara, Naivasha, Nanyuki
and Kisumu, with Nairobi being the main source of holiday makers.
This comes as the
domestic market defies tough economic times to spend on holidays, a move that
has given the industry the much-needed boost before the industry heads into the
off-peak
season,
typically experienced during
the rainy months of April and May.
“Despite increases
in taxes both at individual level and businesses hurting, we expect a lot of
travel as usual. Kenyans have a way of planning themselves so business is good.
We however don’t expect business in Nairobi,” Kenya
Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers CEO Mike Macharia told the Star
yesterday.
Hotels at the coast that spoke to the Star indicated
good business during the April holiday with numbers expected to shoot next week
based on inquiries and bookings.
“On Easter we are
now 70 per cent occupancy and this is mainly local guests who took advantage of
our 20 per cent discount offer we floated at Sarit Center last week during the
domestic tourism exhibition between March 24 and 27..We are
expecting a full house as the pick-up rate at the actual start of Easter is usually
high,” said Mike Kamau, general manager Mombasa Continental Resort.
Majority of the bookings at the Shanzu, North
Coast-based resort are by Nairobi residents and other parts of the country, according
to Kamau, a trend duplicated in most hotels in the region.
Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa however yesterday reported
an occupancy of 67 per cent with expectations to go above 75 per cent over Easter
holiday.
However, management is concerned this year’s performance
could be low compared to last year.
“Its not as busy as the other years, Kenyans are broke.
Rates are even lower but occupancy is still a challenge , lower than previous
years,” general manager Hillary Siele said.
In South Coast, beach
hotels have however reported good business.
“We are currently
at between 65 per cent and 70 per cent and expect to go over 80 per cent next
week during Easter. From there, we go into the low season which we are working with
Kenya Tourism Board to market the destination and ensure it is not impacted,” Leopard Beach Resort and Spa general manager, Kioko Musyoki, said.
Hotels
in the South Coast have been marketing the region as a bloc under the “Destination
Diani” initiative, with the African market led by Uganda being the main focus.
The
facilities at the coast have come up with hotel
and Standard Gauge Railway packages, including transfers to and from the Mombasa
terminal, targeting mainly
domestic tourists.
Airnbs are also
reaping from the travelling by the domestic market during this Easter mainly in
Mombasa, Nanyuki and Kisumu.
“Most of our
visitors are groups coming from Nairobi,” Peter Wachira, an Airbnb manager who
doubles up as a taxi operator in Nanyuki told the Star.
Facilities within
the Masai Mara National Reserve have also reported high bookings next week mainly
by high-earning Kenyans, expatriates and international tourists.
The domestic market
has remained a key driver of the country’s tourism industry even as the
industry continues with global campaigns to drive international numbers which
hit a record 2.4 million visitors last year.w
The country has currently has about 135,000
tourist beds, that is beds in registered tourists’ accommodation facilities,
according to Tourism Research Institute data.
“This includes some of the short-term facilities we commonly refer to as
Airbnb and villas. However, there is a huge number of other facilities that are
not registered making the number higher,” TRI chief executive David
Gitonga said.
He said measures are being put in
place to ensure Airbnb’s
are regulated for fair business practices and standards including health and
safety.
“As we grow the
visitor numbers, we need high accomodation capacity but we must offer the best,”
Gitonga said.
Bed-night occupancy in the country grew
to hit 9.9 million last year with domestic occupancy growing 12 per cent to
reach 5.2 million, mainly driven by conferences and peak holiday seasons of
April, August and December.
