August 29, 2016
Mombasa, Kenya
Zanzibar gives Kenyan hotels run for their cash
Hotels at the Kenyan Coast are increasingly losing to Zanzibar international visitors who arrive by charter flights.
Somak Travel General Manager Paul Kurgat, said the majority of the international tourists flown to Mombasa by charter airlines are on transit to Zanzibar.
“One of the factors which have contributed to low number of international tourists at the Coast is that the charter airlines leave behind a few passengers in Mombasa while many are taken to Zanzibar,” he said.
As a result, he said many hotels at the Coast have a low number of international guests.
Currently, charter flights from Europe to Mombasa are eight a week compared with 40 in the same period during the peak period of 2011.
Charter airlines operating flights to Mombasa are German’s Condor, Small Planet from Poland as well as Meridiana Fly and Neosair from Italy.
When Condor reintroduced flights from Munich to Mombasa in June, the inauguration flight had 240 passengers, out of whom only 90 remained in Mombasa while the rest were on transit to Zanzibar.
In an interview with Smart Company, Mr Kurgat said many tourists, who arrive at the Moi International Airport, Mombasa, by charter flights head to Zanzibar for leisure.
Severin Sea Lodge resident manager James Owiti conceded that the bulk of the tourists who arrive at the local airport by charter flights are making a stopover to the neighbouring country.
“We have occupancy of 65 per cent, but foreign guests are only five per cent owing to the large number of charter passengers being flown to Zanzibar,” he said.
Factors believed to have given Zanzibar an edge is that the island has modern hotels while standards in most facilities at the Coast have degenerated due to lack of renovations. Some were built almost a half a century ago. On the other hand, Kenya Association of Hotelkeeper and Caterers (KAHC) Coast executive officer Sam Ikwaye attributed the shift of tourists to some investors who relocated from Diani, Malindi and Watamu to Tanzania.
Although it is currently high tourist season, most hotels across the region have a low number of international guests at below 10 per cent compared to numbers of between 20 and 50 per cent in the peak period of 2011.
Meanwhile,Hoteliers ask President Uhuru to address plummeting tourism during State House summit.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to host a Tourism Summit at State House, Mombasa, on Wednesday morning.
Source : Zanzibar gives Kenyan hotels run for their cash
Mombasa, Kenya
Zanzibar gives Kenyan hotels run for their cash
Hotels at the Kenyan Coast are increasingly losing to Zanzibar international visitors who arrive by charter flights.
Somak Travel General Manager Paul Kurgat, said the majority of the international tourists flown to Mombasa by charter airlines are on transit to Zanzibar.
“One of the factors which have contributed to low number of international tourists at the Coast is that the charter airlines leave behind a few passengers in Mombasa while many are taken to Zanzibar,” he said.
As a result, he said many hotels at the Coast have a low number of international guests.
Currently, charter flights from Europe to Mombasa are eight a week compared with 40 in the same period during the peak period of 2011.
Charter airlines operating flights to Mombasa are German’s Condor, Small Planet from Poland as well as Meridiana Fly and Neosair from Italy.
When Condor reintroduced flights from Munich to Mombasa in June, the inauguration flight had 240 passengers, out of whom only 90 remained in Mombasa while the rest were on transit to Zanzibar.
In an interview with Smart Company, Mr Kurgat said many tourists, who arrive at the Moi International Airport, Mombasa, by charter flights head to Zanzibar for leisure.
Severin Sea Lodge resident manager James Owiti conceded that the bulk of the tourists who arrive at the local airport by charter flights are making a stopover to the neighbouring country.
“We have occupancy of 65 per cent, but foreign guests are only five per cent owing to the large number of charter passengers being flown to Zanzibar,” he said.
Factors believed to have given Zanzibar an edge is that the island has modern hotels while standards in most facilities at the Coast have degenerated due to lack of renovations. Some were built almost a half a century ago. On the other hand, Kenya Association of Hotelkeeper and Caterers (KAHC) Coast executive officer Sam Ikwaye attributed the shift of tourists to some investors who relocated from Diani, Malindi and Watamu to Tanzania.
Although it is currently high tourist season, most hotels across the region have a low number of international guests at below 10 per cent compared to numbers of between 20 and 50 per cent in the peak period of 2011.
Meanwhile,Hoteliers ask President Uhuru to address plummeting tourism during State House summit.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to host a Tourism Summit at State House, Mombasa, on Wednesday morning.
Source : Zanzibar gives Kenyan hotels run for their cash