Tourism Ministry hires Spanish firm in effort to revive Coast tourism

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala (right) with Rolando Canestrini (left) of Lily Palm Resort and Armando Tanzin of Art Sea Lodge after meeting tourism stakeholders at the Malindi Ocean Beach Resort.  The Ministry of Tourism has engaged a Spanish firm to help revive tourism along the coast. (PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/ STANDARD)

The Ministry of Tourism has engaged a Spanish firm to help revive tourism along the coast.

Making the announcement in Malindi, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said Roger Jones from Innovative Tourism Advisors (THR) in Barcelona, Spain, has five months to evaluate tourism products in the region and advise the national government on the way forward.

“Kenyan Coast tourism has deteriorated over time; as a government, we are growing concerned hence the need to bring on board consultants to give their input on salvaging it,” he said.

Mr Balala was speaking at a tourism stakeholders’ meeting at the Ocean Beach Resort Hotel, Malindi, on Friday.

The Spanish firm has over three decades of experience involving more than 1100 projects in more than 70 countries where it has designed strategies on tourism revival.

“The vast international experience of THR and the variety of companies and organisations they have assisted make them more knowledgeable and will help identify problems as well as suggest and help implement the best available solutions,” the CS said.

Falling numbers 

Balala said that it was pity that five years ago, Malindi was booming with well over 83,000 Italian tourists.

“Today, we have a paltry 20 per cent of the numbers that used to come to Malindi. I have seen for myself some iconic resorts shut down while others are struggling with very few guests,” he said.

He was accompanied by Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) Director General Kipkorir Laga.

Balala said the Government had allocated the country’s top tourism marketer, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), Sh1.5 billion for marketing.

Last month, the Government appointed former Scanad MD Betty Radier to head KTB. The appointment is expected to take effect from December 1.

“Going forward, we are restructuring KTB and bringing in a new CEO from December 1 to steer tourism marketing to greater heights as we aspire to full recovery,” the CS said.

Local tourism stakeholders led by Kenya Association of Hotel-keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Malindi and Watamu sub-region chairman, Philip Chai, have called for the fast-tracking of upgrade works on the Malindi Airport and the rehabilitation of the Mombasa-Malindi highway.

Tourism investors along the coast have expressed concern about international tourists arrivals in the region, saying they were half what they used to be.

KTB’s latest performance report indicates a paltry 17 per cent growth between January and August 2016. Total international arrivals by air and sea during this period closed at 581,808 compared to 496,576 in 2015.

Arrivals at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport grew by 16.5 per cent to record 522,709 compared to 448,549 in 2015.

Charter flights

Moi International Airport, Kenya’s hub for charter flights, recorded a total of 57,219 visitors compared to 48,031 in 2015 - a 19.1 per cent growth.

There were 1,880 cruise ship passenger arrivals recorded until August 2016.

Uganda remained the largest supplier of African tourists to Kenya with 9,771 arrivals.

Out of these, 8,933 Ugandans came to Kenya purely for holiday, 248 came on business while 299 attended conferences.

South Africa, Tanzania, South Sudan, Nigeria and Rwanda were also among the top African nations sending tourists to Kenya.

From Asia, India brought in 6,480 tourists by August 2016 while 7,541 Chinese tourists visited in the same period. The US had 9,921 visitors coming to Kenya.

From Australia, Kenya received 1,807 visitors while the UK - Kenya’s traditional tourism market - sent 10,799 visitors.

Industry players say although the figures reflect an increase in numbers, they are minimal compared to the sector’s best years in the past.

“When one looks at the arrivals in 2011 versus 2016, there is great drop. From the UK alone, the numbers have dropped from 128,880 in 2011 to 64,380 - a 50 per cent drop,” said Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa Chief Executive Officer Titus Kangangi.