TRAVEL from South Africa
to Kenya is down – not
because of recent security
issues but because South
Africans find the destination
too expensive.
Muriithi Ndegwa, md of the
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB),
told TNW at Indaba, that
tourism numbers to Kenya
from South Africa had declined
by 11% for the period 2012 to
2013. He attributed the drop
to the ceasing of operations
of 1time’s direct flight from
Johannesburg to Mombasa.
Tour operators agree that
price and air accessibility
are the main deterrents for
a beach holiday to Kenya.
Juan Nel, marketing director
of Stay Africa, says Mombasa
and Malindi were once good
options for South Africans who
couldn’t afford Mauritius or
Zanzibar, but the current high
airfares have rendered the
Kenyan coast uncompetitive.
“The hotels and safari
companies are doing their bit
in making the destination as
affordable as possible but we
need the airlines to come to
the party as well,” he says.
Lower airfares are not on
the cards, however. Helena
Maxwell, sales manager of
Kenya Airways, says the low
airfares 1time used to charge
on the Mombasa route are not
sustainable. A direct flight to
Mombasa, although always on
the radar, is also not planned
for the near future, she adds.
A direct flight could help to
turn the destination around.
Karin Sieberhagen, marketing
manager of Serena Hotels,
says going via Nairobi has an
impact on clients’ decisions to
visit Mombasa. “They would
rather fly direct to Mauritius
and Zanzibar.”
Lynette Smith, Cullinan
Outbound Tourism’s product
and contracting executive for
Africa, says the security threat
should not be underestimated
either. “Pirate activity on the
north coast, and more recently
the killing of civilians in the
mall in Nairobi, have also had
a negative effect on sales.”
The drop in demand for
Kenya seems to be contained
to the coast. Tour operators
say demand for safaris
remains unchanged. Frank
Glettenberg, ceo of Private
Safaris, says: “Many SA
clients now combine a safari
in Kenya with a beach stay in
Zanzibar.”
Liesel van Zyl, product
manager of Go2Africa, says
the operator advises clients
to avoid Mombasa and the
Kenyan north coast, including
Lamu. The south coast is still
in demand, however, although
Liesel also admits a lot of
travellers tend to rather opt
for Zanzibar and Seychelles
as add-on beach holidays to a
Kenyan safari.
Meanwhile, the recently
issued UK and US travel
advisories have had a huge
impact on Kenya tourism
globally.
Millicent Odhiambo, ceo
of the Mombasa and Coast
Tourism Association told
TNW that the evacuation of
UK tourists from Kenya had
conveyed the impression that
there was a war on the
horizon and had depicted
the coastal region, especially
Mombasa, as highly insecure.
She says the truth is that
stringent measures have
been taken, both by the
government and private
sector, to ensure travellers are
safe. “The travel advisories
will have a ripple effect on
the economy. It has been
unwarranted.” Millicent adds
that the government has been
lobbying Western countries to
lift the advisories.
