Published on : Friday, June 13, 2014
Kenya recognized as one of the world’s popular tourist destinations for its wildlife safaris and natural white beaches on the Indian Ocean.
However, a wave of bombings has paralyzed the tourism industry in Kenya.
Because of terrorist attacks in Nairobi and the coast many tourists have stayed away, while some tour companies have evacuated their clients.
Lucy Karume, head of the Kenya Tourism Federation, told dpa, “Tourism, especially in the coastal region, is at an all-time low.
We are 70 to 80% down on the coast.”
Mike Macharia, chief executive of the Kenya Association of Hotels and Caterers said that tourism accounts for more than 12% of the East African country’s gross domestic product, generating up to 100 billion shillings annually.
He told dpa that tourism gives direct employment to half a million Kenyans and supports ten times that number, if family members and indirect employment are taken into account.
Tourism dropped by 15% in 2013 as fears of insecurity surrounding national elections and following an attack by the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that claimed at least 67 lives.
In recent months, attacks in Nairobi and in the Mombasa region on the coast have been blamed on al-Shabaab. Dozens of people – none of them tourists – have been killed.
The majority of the Nairobi attacks have targeted buses, markets, restaurants and a police station in or near Eastleigh, a neighbourhood with a large Somali population.
In May, attacks on the coast included an explosion outside a large tourist resort north of Mombasa and a bombing at a bus station in the city.
Macharia estimates that in May Kenya lost about 10 million dollars in cancellations. “What is worst is not the cancellations, it is the lack of new bookings.”
Some hotels are placing staff on leave, and casual labourers have already been let go.
Germany issued travel warning against north-east near Somalia. Kenya’s government and tourism industry have lashed out at Western governments for their travel advisories.
They claim the warnings are politically provoked and a form of economic sabotage, and argue that similar warnings have not been issued for other countries undergoing comparable turmoil.
The West has had cold relations with Kenya since the election in March 2013 of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges at the International Criminal Court of murder, rape and forced displacement.
The city’s police chief, Robert Kitur, told dpa, “There is no threat to any foreigner or any Kenyan in Mombasa.”
He said there are more uniformed and undercover officers on the coast, including armed beach patrols and escorts for tourists travelling from the airport to resorts.
Guests screened in hotels. Many have hired extra security and installed surveillance cameras.
In spite of all the concern, tourists who have come to Kenya often love it. The Kenyan authorities and tourism industry have launched online campaigns to reassure visitors.
Hotels are cutting prices, and some coastal resorts are even giving away free nights for visitors with longer stays.
Tags: kenya, tourism industry
|
||
   
|
||
