Hotels reap big from direct flights
Kenya is set to have an unprecedented number of foreign tourists, thanks to the increased number of direct flights from international markets.
As the peak season looms, Kenya Coast Tourism Association regional chairman Victor Shitakha said more airlines were taking advantage of the government’s Charter Flight Programme and were in the process bringing in more business to the country.
Official data shows Kenya netted an estimated Sh3.7 billion in revenue from the Charter Incentive Programme in 2018 alone, signifying a promising future ahead.
With the extension of the incentive programme to 2022, hotels and resorts are expected to continue reaping big from chartered flights.
Last weekend, Mombasa received the first charter flight from the Czech Republic.
The plane, Atlas Global Airbus A330, landed at the Moi International Airport with 308 tourists destined for Baobab Hotel in South Coast for a week-long holiday.
Charter flights
“This is the first charter flight we are welcoming this year from the Czech market. For the next three months, they will be bringing in a charter a week,” said Shitakha.
On October 15, Mombasa received a Polish charter flight by Rainbow Tours with about 180 tourists on board. The Polish charter flight will also have weekly arrivals at the Mombasa International Airport in addition to TUI Belgium’s weekly visits.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) says arrivals from Poland have increased, with 15,163 tourists arriving in the country in 2018 compared to 11,947 in 2017, marking a 26.9 per cent growth.
KTB chief executive Betty Radier said the rise in the number of direct flights to Moi International Airport Mombasa was a global endorsement of Mombasa by tourists from Europe, US and the Middle East.
“This is a good endorsement to the Kenyan coast as a destination. Increase of more charter flights means the tourism business will grow significantly,” said Radier.
Increase in frequency of regional flights has also contributed to more tourist arrivals, with Ethiopia Airlines operating daily flights to Mombasa from Bole International Airport and RwandAir landing at the Coast twice a week from Kigali.
Traditionally, Mombasa has relied on Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Visitors to the Coast would board connecting flights to Mombasa, making the journey expensive and tiresome. But this is changing as more flights land at the Moi International Airport Mombasa.
Relative calm
Owing to early closure of schools this year and the relative calm the region has been enjoying, local tourist visits are also expected to increase.
“We are anticipating significant growth ahead of festivities. Currently we have above 80 per cent local bookings,”said Wafula Waswa,Travellers Beach Resort marketing manager.
