As the Russian war continues in Ukraine, fears are growing about the effect the fighting will have on Kenya’s tourism as it recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Players say it could derail the much-anticipated recovery in the hospitality industry just as travel restrictions were being lifted across the world after two years of battle with coronavirus.
Newszetu has learnt that the industry has already suffered a major blow with players receiving cancellations.
The Coast circuit largely depends on the European market.
The Uhuru Kenyatta succession campaigns are also causing jitters due to the heightened political temperatures. Tourism is the Coast’s economic lifeline, employing thousands of workers.
“We have started receiving cancellations due to the war in Ukraine that has affected the European tourism circuit. No one wants to travel to Kenya and get stuck,” Mr Victor Shitakha, the Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) chairman, said yesterday.
There are some 100 Ukrainians who work in Kenya.
“Every 10 days we used to get a chartered flight from Ukraine, bringing 200 tourists. We have now lost that market. We have had cancellations from Ukraine while Polish tourists are jittery,” said Mr Shitakha.
He said the bed occupancy had gone low, up to 40 per cent. However, he said Meetings, Incentives, Exhibitions and Conferences (MICE) and domestic tourists have been supporting the sector during the low season.
The Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Executive Officer, Dr Sam Ikwaye, said the general election would affect the sector.
“We always have a turn-down of tourism because of elections every five years. But we are lucky the local market is boosting our businesses. We are now getting used to a turn-down of international tourism since 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
A tourist from the UK, Mr Mark Twain, said he has been visiting Kenya for a while. “Kenya is an amazing country. The food, wildlife, weather and people are all wonderful. The Coast has a lot to offer,” he said.
Kingstone Beach general manager Samuel Masha offered: “We are recovering; nightlife had completely died due to the pandemic.”
Mombasa county chief officer in charge of tourism, finance and trade, Ms Asha Abdi, said stakeholders are now strategising on how to attract more international tourists ahead of the Easter holidays.
“This war is affecting our international market. We have been relying on the Eastern European market,” she said.
In 2021, the Mombasa county government revived its partnership with cities abroad to market the Coastal tourism circuit by wooing international tourists.
In an interview in Mombasa, the Ukrainian Honorary Consul, Mr Oleksii Sierkov, said some investors from Kyiv were interested in doing business in Kenya. “Once the war is over we will revive the chartered flights to Moi International Airport in Mombasa,” he said.
Pollman’s Tours and Safaris Director Mohammed Hersi reiterated his call to the government to suspend the requirement for PCR testing to help the sector recover from the slump brought about by the pandemic.
Kenya requires tourists to show a negative Covid-19 PCR certificate when entering and departing.
“Kenya needs to drop PCR for fully vaccinated arrivals. For tourism to bounce back we need the PCR requirement scrapped. Let’s allow travel to resume,” said Mr Hersi.
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