Hoteliers in Malindi are giving special low rates for tourists who help in the monthly clean-up on Saturday july 10 to help make the resort town cleaner and greener.
Resorts are giving up to 40 per cent discounts for those who will not only help clean up beaches and villages but also plant mangroves along Sabaki River estuary. There will also be a Malindi town tour, fun and games, family activities and a beach party.
The clean-up is sponsored by the Progressive Welfare Association of Malindi, called Malindi Green and Blue, aimed at making the resort town a better destination in anticipation of more tourists.
It's an eco-fun day.
Deals include special rates for hotels, lodges, camps, air ticketing, home management and properties.
They include hotels such as Ocean Beach Resort and Spa, Plan resorts including Plan Dreams Garden, Sandies Tropical Village and Dream of Africa, plus the White Elephant Art Lodge, among others.
Maureen Awuor, general manager of the Ocean Beach Resort and Spa, said this month they are focusing on making Plan Dreams Garden Malindi a green town and clean tourism destination.
Speaking in Malindi, she said most of the stakeholders are already gearing up for the event giving special rates for those who would like to travel and participate.
“This time we are also planting the mangrove trees. We hope we are going to be joined by many people from all over the country and maybe from the neighboring countries or even abroad to come and experience a green town,” she said.
Awuor is chairperson of Kenya Hotel Keepers and Caterers Association. She said they have been working towards sustainable tourism so stakeholders are coming together for monthly clean-ups.
"We are urging people who are conscious of the environment to come down here and experience it with us during this clean-up time," she said.
Catherine Muli, who is the founder and CEO of Big Five Venture Safaris, said they have decided to do the clean up in a different way.
She said they have organised with hotels to give back to the community through planting mangroves, cleaning beaches and villages and making sure sure they educate young people to do the same.
She said the aim is to bring back the lost glory Malindi as they wait to start up the tourism sector hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alex Zissimatos, the general manager of Plan Resorts Malindi, said charters are scheduled to come from Poland but most are headed to the south Coast.
“Every second week of the month we have a big clean-up for Malindi. It's not about cleaning alone but also creating awareness about litter because we live right next to the beach and it's very important to have clean beach, he said.
Armando Tanzini, owner of the White Elephant Art Lodge, said Malindi is an important destination and tourists deserve the best.
(Edited by V. Graham)