NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 10 – Hotels at the Coast are recording a boom this Christmas season with most fully booked, among them the iconic Diani Reef Resort and Spa which has roared back to life after a low season characterized by the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
International and domestic tourists have always prefered Diani as their holiday destination of choice, which is why most hotels in the south coast are fully booked.
Corporate organisations have also prefered to host most conferences in the south coast, where hotels reported booming business.
“Currently we are hosting a lot of conferences and as for the Christmas season we are fully sold out,” said Bobby Kamani, Managing Director at the Diani Reef Resort and Spa.
Diani’s crisp white sandy beaches remain a favourite for holidaymakers, having been voted Africa’s leading beach destination for the fifth time running since 2015.
The general area is known for its coral reefs, black and white colobus monkeys and is close to Shimba Hills National Reserve, a wildlife reserve that overlooks out over the Indian Ocean.
Diani Beach also has several fine dining restaurants, hotels, supermarkets as well as high-end shopping centres.
As for Diani Reef Resort and Spa, it holds the prestigious award for being the 2015 Africa’s Leading Spa Resort and 2015 Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort awarded by the distinguished World Travel Awards- Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa. /COURTESY.
As for Diani Reef Resort and Spa, it holds the prestigious award for being the 2015 Africa’s Leading Spa Resort and 2015 Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort awarded by the distinguished World Travel Awards- Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa.
Bobby said 80 per cent of the resort guests are local while 20 per cent are international tourists.
According to Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, Kenya is banking on the North American Market to boost its international tourism numbers and hasten the sector’s recovery.
Balala said the Covid-19 pandemic has taken toll on the travel sector and called for concerted efforts towards its mitigation even as travels resume.
“With most people from the US and the larger Europe vaccinated, there is now a great urge for travellers to venture out and experience the world. As North Americans look to travel to Africa during their next big vacation, there is an opportunity to create greater travel interest in Kenya,” said Balala.
The USA is traditionally Kenya’s leading tourism source market. The market recorded the highest arrivals into Kenya with 108,072 visitors contributing 16.3 per cent of the total arrivals between January to October, 2021.
Kenya enjoys non-stop access from the market with 5-weekly flights from JFK airport to Nairobi scheduled by Kenya Airways from December 2021.
Airline access remains critical to the sector’s growth, with several carriers offering one-stop.
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast branch Executive officer Sam Ikwaye told Capital Business that the Coast region is experiencing good performance with an average occupancy of 70 per cent, this is set to improve as the holiday season approaches.
Ikwaye attributes this good performance to aggressive marketing, attractive hotel packages and the fact that most facilities have vaccinated their staff and are following Covid-19 protocols.
In Nairobi, hospitality industry players said they are hopeful about the future of the conference business as they expect more conferences to be hosted in Nairobi from next year once the Westlands-JKIA Expressway is complete.
Speaking during a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, PrideInn Azure General Manager Adatya Mata said infrastructure will be a big boost to the hospitality industry which had been brought to its knees by the covid -19 pandemic by reducing travel time and making Nairobi more attractive.
“The upcoming infrastructure will make Nairobi an exciting place for local and international conferences and tourists. This will complete the business and leisure cycle since they will have the chance to enjoy Nairobi’s cultural, leisure and wildlife products,” said Adatya.
