Good tidings for hotels, Airbnbs as Easter bookings pick.

Hoteliers and the larger tourism industry are expecting a boom during next week’s Easter holiday as last-minute bookings push up occupancy in most hotels in key destinations.

Industry trends have identified the beach destinations of Mombasa and Diani as the most preferred with the domestic market being the main driver of tourism activities during this period, that has also come with closure of schools.

Other key destinations that have received high bookings are Masai Mara, Naivasha, Nanyuki and Kisumu, with Nairobi being the main source of holiday makers.

This comes as the domestic market defies tough economic times to spend on holidays, a move that has given the industry the much-needed boost before the industry heads into the off-peak season, typically experienced during the rainy months of April and May. 

“Despite increases in taxes both at individual level and businesses hurting, we expect a lot of travel as usual. Kenyans have a way of planning themselves so business is good. We however don’t expect business in Nairobi,” Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers CEO Mike Machariatold the Star yesterday.

Hotels at the coast that spoke to the Star indicated good business during the April holiday with numbers expected to shoot next week based on inquiries and bookings.

“On Easter we are now 70 per cent occupancy and this is mainly local guests who took advantage of our 20 per cent discount offer we floated at Sarit Center last week during the domestic tourism exhibition between March 24 and 27.^.We are expecting a full house as the pick-up rate at the actual start of Easter is usually high,” said Mike Kamau, general manager Mombasa Continental Resort.

Majority of the bookings at the Shanzu, North Coast-based resort are by Nairobi residents and other parts of the country, according to Kamau, a trend duplicated in most hotels in the region.

Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa however yesterday reported an occupancy of 67 per cent with expectations to go above 75 per cent over Easter holiday.

However, management is concerned this year’s performance could be low compared to last year.

“Its not as busy as the other years, Kenyans are broke. Rates are even lower but occupancy is still a challenge , lower than previous years,” general manager Hillary Siele said.

In South Coast, beach hotels have however reported good business.

“We are currently at between 65 per cent and 70 per cent and expect to go over 80 per cent next week during Easter. From there, we go into the low season which we are working with Kenya Tourism Board to market the destination and ensure it is not impacted,” Leopard Beach Resort and Spageneral manager, Kioko Musyoki, said.

Hotels in the South Coast have been marketing the region as a bloc under the “Destination Diani” initiative, with the African market led by Uganda being the main focus.

The facilities at the coast have come up with hotel and Standard Gauge Railway packages, including transfers to and from the Mombasa terminal, targeting mainly domestic tourists.

Airnbs are also reaping from the travelling by the domestic market during this Easter mainly in Mombasa, Nanyuki and Kisumu.

“Most of our visitors are groups coming from Nairobi,” Peter Wachira, an Airbnb manager who doubles up as a taxi operator in Nanyuki told the Star.

Facilities within the Masai Mara National Reserve have also reported high bookings next week mainly by high-earning Kenyans, expatriates and international tourists.

The domestic market has remained a key driver of the country’s tourism industry even as the industry continues with global campaigns to drive international numbers which hit a record 2.4 million visitors last year.w

The country has currently has about 135,000 tourist beds, that is beds in registered tourists’ accommodation facilities, according to Tourism Research Institute data.

“This includes some of the short-term facilities we commonly refer to as Airbnb and villas. However, there is a huge number of other facilities that are not registered making the number higher,” TRI chief executive David Gitonga said.

He said measures are being put in place to ensure Airbnb’s are regulated for fair business practices and standards including health and safety.

“As we grow the visitor numbers, we need high accomodation capacity but we must offer the best,” Gitonga said.

Bed-night occupancy in the country grew to hit 9.9 million last year with domestic occupancy growing 12 per cent to reach 5.2 million, mainly driven by conferences and peak holiday seasons of April, August and December.