The tourism numbers in the Kenyan coast are on the upward trend as the festive season kicks in with hotels and recreation facilities recording big business.
Hoteliers are saying the improved performance of the industry is being driven by domestic travelers and improved infrastructure. Hotels reaching high occupancies of 80-90% while anticipating full bookings.
“Apart from the traditional school holidays, there are new attractions like serviced apartments, signaling a strong recovery and growth post-pandemic, supported by favorable visa policies and reintroduction of flights through the Moi International Airport, Mombasa,” said an industry player.
A spot check revealed that hotels across Diani, Mombasa, and Malindi are seeing occupancies over 90%, with some expecting full bookings. At the Jacaranda Indian Ocean Beach Resort in Diani, the management said they are enjoying booming business.
Some of the workers who have been complaining of hard times are now forced to work overtime as local and international tourists continue arriving.
“Hotels in the region are receiving encouraging bookings and reservations with local holidaymakers accounting for the highest percentage,” said Sam Ikway, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Association of Hotel Owners and Caterers, Coast.
Ikwaye said hotel owners and other stakeholders are looking forward to a better holiday season compared to last year adding a series of events and entertainments for holidaymakers are in the offing.
While lauding the government for undertaking major infrastructure improvement that contributed to the growth in the industry in the region he challenged tourist hotels and apartments to provide special packages to attract domestic visitors who he said sustain the industry during difficult periods.
Meanwhile, Kilifi is emerging as a conducive hub for conference tourism with the commissioning of the Kilifi Convention Centre and a new conference centre at a popular hotel in Kikambala.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro urged the national government to expedite the dualling of the Mombasa-Malindi highway and the expansion of the Malindi Airport to attract more tourists to the county.
“Last year alone, Kilifi welcomed more than 500,000 local and international tourists, a population that exceeds the number of people residing in Malindi and Kilifi towns. This is a 15 per cent increase from the number of tourists recorded the previous year,” Mung’aro said.
He said 40 per cent of tourists who visited the county did so for conferences such as the Essence of Africa Tourism Conference and the Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition, both held in October this year in Malindi.
The government has directed holidaymakers to stay away from public beaches after 6 pm until the end of the year.
This is meant to curb insecurity and drowning incidents that often occur during festive seasons in coastal towns.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said Kenya recorded 2.4 million international tourists in 2024, representing a 14.6 per cent increase compared to the previous year. “The 2024 inbound tourism earnings rose to Sh452.2 billion, a 19.79 per cent growth compared to 2023,” said CS Miano.
She was speaking during the launch of the Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report 2024 and the Report on Sustainability and Impact of Climate Change on the Tourism Sector in Kenya.
