Kenya’s tourism industry braces for mass cancellations and losses

A joint report by Paul Redfern in London and Catherine Riungu in Nairobi in the 
The EastAfrican says that last week’s horrific violence in many parts of Kenya has inflicted serious damage on the tourism industry.

Most European Union countries have now introduced travel advisories, telling their citizens not to travel to Kenya unless it is absolutely essential for them to do so.

By last Wednesday, it was already clear that the advisories were having an effect, with scores of Italian tourists cancelling their visit to Kenya and Coast hotel owners warning they would be forced to lay off staff.

Then, on Thursday, most major UK tour operators suspended all holidays to Kenya following an updated travel advisory from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The priority the travel operators said was now to get the 7,000 tourists currently on holiday in Kenya back home.

In Britain, the FCO now advises all Britons against “all but essential travel” to Kenya, saying there are fears of “serious unrest,” and telling tourists to “stay indoors” and if travelling about the country, to “exercise extreme caution.”

Similar advisories were issued by France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal.

It had been expected that the 2007/08 tourism season would break all previous records, but this has now been thrown into doubt over safety concerns following the elections.

Around 290,000 Britons currently visit Kenya annually and over the past two years these numbers have been growing steadily.  Britons make up by far the largest number of international tourists to Kenya each year and around 7,000 are currently believed to be on holiday in Kenya.

The Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) has meanwhile said it is updating overseas markets on the situation on the ground in the country and assuring them that tourists are safe despite the post-election chaos. 

The board’s sentiments though are not shared by industry players, who said the sector is stressed and expects the worst if the prevailing unrest persists.

The chairman of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators Coast branch, Mohamed Hersi said the sector depends entirely on peace and tranquility and was bracing for a possible mass cancellation of bookings. 

Due to disruption of transportation of goods from upcountry, the hoteliers said they were running out of essential supplies such as potatoes and vegetables. 

The development is a major contrast to KTB’s projection that the December 27 general election would not dent growth in tourism earnings. 

The board projected last December that arrivals from the North American circuit alone, particularly the United States and Canada, would rise from the current 85,000 to 100,000 tourists.  This was from the premise that during the campaign period, the sector had not seen a reduction in the number of visitors.

“The fact that we expect democratic elections means that tourism will not be affected by politics in any way,” said KTB chairman Jake Grieves-Cook said in December.

Following the post-election violence in Kenya, opposition parties in Tanzania are considering petitioning the Kenyan government through the East African Community.

The parties plan to hand over resolutions to the Kenyan government through its High Commission in Tanzania amid reports that the Tanzania government was planning to send high-level delegations to Kenya.

Zitto Kabwe, Member of Parliament from the opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) told The EastAfrican that they will present four resolutions: Non-recognition of a government not recognised by its own people; calls for an independent verification of poll results; that the winner after a recount should form a government of national unity, with clear and open agreements; and that President Kibaki should halt the killing of innocent civilians. 

According to Mr Kabwe, the Kenyan situation was not an internal matter since the country was a member of the Community and the problem was a regional one that called for active involvement of regional leaders in seeking to resolve the impasse. 

The Tanzanian government also said it had taken an active role in trying to resolve the political impasse. 

The violence in Kenya has forced more than 50 Kenyans of Asian origin to flee to Zanzibar, while more than 1,000 Kenyans have fled to the Tanzania Mainland.

A Report by The Mole from the East African