Are we going to lose the tourism pie because of the coming election?
The Hospitality industry is one of the largest service industries in the world, and will continue to flourish as tourism picks up in the future and people have more discretionary spend.
This is particularly true of Kenya, where the government hopes to double tourism numbers and revenue. At first glance, the plan makes sense. Relatively few tourists come to Kenya compared to, say, South Africa, and there are enormous inefficiencies in the industry still to be fixed, including archaic hotels, mismanagement of tourism in national parks, and shoddy airports.
Many beaches on Kenya's sun-kissed Mombasa coast are empty and resorts are half-full on fears that the violence that ripped through the East African country after its last election in 2007 will erupt again when it votes on Monday.
Then, as now, alliances forged for the elections have lined up another largely ethnic-based contest for political power.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta are neck-and-neck in opinion polls, pointing to another very close and potentially contentious outcome. Results are expected to come out within 48 hours of the vote.
But even if there is no violence, tourist operators like UK-based Will Jones say the damage for 2013 is done. Jones' agency, which markets Africa to high-end tourists mainly from the United States, is bracing for a bad year.
Jones has confirmed only 20 bookings for Kenya starting in the second half of the year compared to 50 for the whole of last year.
"Kenya just isn't a safe bet, it's the uncertainty that has put people off. We have been shy of investing too much time and effort into Kenyan itineraries," said Jones, speaking from southern England.
Many tourists are eyeing neighboring Tanzania, which offers similar safari adventures and business conference options.
THE QUESTION IS: ARE WE KENYANS GOING TO ALLOW OURSELVES TO LOSE THE TOURISM PIE?
Manager at Sun Africa Hotels
7 年It is unfortunate that our politicians are so selfish that the are even ready to not only water their political trees with blood but are ready to bring a whole industry sector to satisfy their ego. You wonder whom they are to lead if all of us are burnt by their shameless activities. We need to have structures such that the Seat of the Presidency becomes more of honour than means to amass ill wealth and extending unlimited and undeserved favours to their friends and cronies. As it makes absolute nonsense to demolish what is already there and then claiming to put it back when on the seat.