Excitement has engulfed residents and proprietors of business premises at the Coast as several hotels and entertainment joints that had closed due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic spring back to life.

The vibrant nightlife of Mombasa’s Mtwapa and Bamburi is back, with restaurants, bars, eateries and entertainment spots back in business, hosting hordes of foreign and local tourists.

Almost all the leading tourist hotels and entertainment joints that had closed shop due to travel restrictions and subsequent economic woes orchestrated by the Covid-19 pandemic are now back in operation.

This year’s prolonged electioneering period had also dented tourism and local businesses. Hotels in may parts of the Coast were forced to either shut down or suspend their operations due to a reduction in the number of guests.

But with normalcy resuming, particularly when the country is approaching end-of-year festivities, almost all tourism establishments are operational and fully booked with guests.

At the North Coast, Ocean Beach Resort, located in Malindi, is among the hotels fully booked for Christmas. According to general manager Maureen Owuor, the hotel has reinstated all its employees.

The hotel has also returned all its tariffs to normal, owing to rising demand for hospitality services. Maureen says most hotels and resorts that had closed during the low season and the Coronavirus disruptions are now fully booked.

“We are charging normal prices; remember we had reduced our fees to almost half because of the Covid period when business was low. But now schools are closed and more guests are booking in. Our hotel is fully booked,” said Maureen.

According to the Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) chief executive Julius Owino, the majority of hotels started  opening  their doors immediately after the Covid lockdowns. But those in the North and South Coast delayed till early this year.

It is after the General Election that the hotels boomed back to life. Today, normalcy has returned to almost all parts of the Coast, with the hospitality industry bracing for roaring business this month.

According to Owino, among the hotels that gradually opened their doors is Ocean Village Resort in Diani, which is now hoping to cash in on holiday makers. The hotel opened its doors in July this year and has lately been getting a fair volume of guests.

“Although most hotels reopened last year, the progress to normalcy has been slow, forcing the premises to work with low returns. Even this year, some hotels had not reopened, like Ocean Beach Hotel. But now they are making good business.

Starting December 20, the accommodation rates at Ocean Beach Hotel ranged between $270 (Sh33,115) per night for a double room and $220 (Sh26,983) per night for a single room. Located along the Indian Ocean, on the white sandy Diani beach, the hotel offers guests a tranquil haven. 

   Sea views

It features tropical decor with teak furniture while all the rooms have a veranda and air-conditioning. The deluxe rooms all have sea views through a tropical forest. They include a seating area with flat-screen TV and a small fridge.

Hoteliers are anticipating a 100 per cent booking starting December 15, and have advised holiday makers to brace for higher rates due to a rise in demand. Owino says the rates may be reasonably adjusted because the sector mainly depends on the December holiday recovery period.

“Currently, we are doing about 25 percent of international guests and the rest is supported by domestic tourism. We are hoping that if the open-sky policy is implemented to have more flights to Mombasa, the sector will enjoy more international tourists,” said Owino.

He added that with an open-sky policy, the region could receive about 3,000 international visitors per day, which will economically translate to huge business. 

“What is affecting the sector is connectivity, as we are unable to get direct flights to Mombasa. The direct flights we have are Ethiopian Airline, Ugandan Air and RwandAir. These comprise a small connecting destination. We need more direct flights to the Coast, said Owino.

Booming business

In Mombasa, Sarova Whitesands Hotel, which had reduced its staff due to low business, has bounced back to life. General manager Francis Msengeti says business is booming due to the upcoming festivities.

The hotel recently ushered in the festive season by commissioning Christmas trees and lighting. Indeed, the economy supported by the hotel is thriving — from taxi drivers to photographers.

“We suffered a lot when Covid struck.  But now we see a bright future in the hospitality industry,”said Msengeti.

Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) chief executive Sam Ikwaye confirmed that Diani establishments were rising from slumber. He said that many of them opened their doors after movement restrictions were eased. 

At Bahari Beach Hotel in Mombasa, operations manager Godfrey Juma is optimistic that the sector will exhibit resilience even after  the festivities.