It has been a tough two years for businesses since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic amid lockdowns and a ban on international travel.
However, tourism sector players are upbeat that the industry is rising from the doldrums.
With the tourism peak season just round the corner with most hotels enjoying at least a 50 per cent bed occupancy rate, stakeholders are calling for radical reforms in the industry.
Kenya Tourism Board Director Bobby Kamani cited licensing as a major stumbling block. The many permits needed to run a business were hurting investors.
He cited hotels, which need more than 23 different licenses to operate, yet the permits can easily consolidated.
The Diani Reef Hotel proprietor said there are plans to market Kenya abroad as industry looking to fill the over 40,000 beds at the coast and in other destinations across the country.
Noting the improved road network in Mombasa and Nairobi, Mr Kamani said this had boosted connectivity between the two cities from which Kenya could reap big. He proposed that at least 15 per cent of annual tourism earnings be allocated to marketing.
Kenya Coast Tourism Association chief executive Julius Owino and Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers boss Sam Ikwaye urged the government to identify new tourism niches to lure more international visitors.
“There is confidence from the source market and the peace that has prevailed after the elections has really helped,” Mr Owino said, noting that the Meetings, Incentives, Exhibitions, and Conferences (Mice) niche is on the upturn.
“Our only worry is the deferment of the Mombasa gubernatorial race,” he added.
Dr Ikwaye said the sector will be pushing for an “open-skies” policy for Nairobi and Mombasa to ease accessibility for international tourists, alongside the modernisation of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Besides KQ, he said, Qatar, KLM, Emirates, Ethiopian and Turkish airlines can connect Kenya to 125 countries and over 320 cities.
“JKIA needs to be brought up to international standards to improve the arrival and departure experience for travellers,” he said.
Mr Owino urged the next government to prioritise renewal and approval of permits for international airlines that have sought to fly directly to Mombasa.
Dr Ikwaye said international tourists have begun flocking to Mombasa, while Mr Kamani urged the government to look for a reliable partner to invest in JKIA, especially by building a second runway.
He called for the remodelling and relaunch of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre through a public-private partnership arrangement.
“A private partner can build, operate and later transfer an adjoining four-star anchor conference hotel with 250 rooms, which would revive the Nairobi city centre including the heritage hotels at the heart of the city,” Mr Kamani said.
The new Nairobi Expressway has improved access to and from the JKIA, he added.
“Fix the city centre to make it more pedestrian-friendly and bring back the night life,” he said.
Mr Kamani also called for modernisation of the Kenya Utalii College to bring it to par with global standards, and the opening of satellite branches in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru and Meru.
He further urged the government to set up a trust to raise funds for conservation instead of depending on park fees.
Many philanthropists, he added, would readily contribute to it.
“We should also reserve two or three board seats for international organisations such as National Geographic and the World Wildlife Fund to promote confidence in the donors contributing to the trust,” he said.
The initiative, Mr Kamani added, would serve as a stopgap measure when tourist numbers drop.
He also made a pitch for medical tourism, saying, this can be promoted by “bringing affordable hospitals that are already operating in other parts of the world and localise them in destinations like Diani. This would help eradicate hurdles investors in the health sector face.”
Sports tourism, Mr Kamani said, must leverage on the success of Kenyan athletes. He urged the government to set up modern high-altitude training centres.
He further asked the government to set up modern Mice centres in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret.
“For example, in Mombasa, Shimo la Tewa prison and Shanzu Teachers College are sitting on huge tracts of land, which are not effectively used.
“Any developer would be delighted to be shareholders of such projects,” Mr Kamani added.
“Port tours with private floating hotels and restaurants can boost business at the terminal. Now that Mombasa is once again an island, tours around the island will be possible,” he said.
