As more than 2.5 million wildebeests trek towards the Mara River and Sand River Gate crossing points from northern Serengeti plains in Tanzania to kick off the season, it is likely that hotels in Masai Mara National Reserve will not open their doors during the entire July-September pinnacle season.

Travelwise has established that more than 26 exclusive lodges and tented camps are out of business as tourists stay away since the emergence and persistence of the Delta and Indian Covid-19 variants in the United Kingdom and India. 

The high-end lodges and camps are yet to receive bookings or plan to recall staff they had sent on unpaid leave last year, because of lack of business.

Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is still contemplating whether or not to ease the lockdown his government imposed on citizens to curb the Delta variant soon, which will allow them to travel outside the UK.

This announcement followed an earlier advisory by the UK to its citizens not to visit Kenya warning them that should they do so, they risked contracting Covid-19, especially the South African variant.

The advisory forced Kenya to react, banning all flights to and from UK.

The standoff according to hoteliers has greatly contributed to closure of hotels, which heavily depended on British tourists.

“We have been affected by the advisory. It is a tradition that whenever the UK issues travel advisories, other countries in Europe and even the United States follow suit,” says Jackson Looseiya, an official of the prestigious Tangulia Camp, which entirely depends on visitors from UK.

He adds that apart from the Delta variant, the diplomatic standoff between the two countries has affected business in most hotels in the world’s famous game reserve.

Looseiya who is also a contributor in the longest running BBC’s Big Cats Diary, says it might take more than three years before the hotel sector returns to where it was before Covid-19 hit the country, pegging the resumption of travel to unhindered access to vaccines in the world, especially in Africa.

“Until the vaccines nationalism, which has seen rich nations block access of vaccines by poor nations, especially in Africa ends, it would take long for full resumption of international travel.

“People who have been vaccinated would like to travel, but the fear of contracting Covid-19 in countries whose population has no access to vaccines would keep them away, keeping tourism in continued doldrums,” he says.

Ben Kipeno, the proprietor of Siria Mara Game Camp on the fringes of the Mara Triangle says the government should strive to deploy vaccines and ensure the entire population is vaccinated if it is serious about reviving the hospitality industry and wonders why it did not set aside funds for the revival of tourism in 2021/2022 financial year.

The government, he further says should work round the clock to end the bad relationship between it and the UK as a measure towards resumption of travel.

The government, he adds, should stop depending on vaccines donations and set aside money to purchase them to vaccinate its citizens. 

“Kenya will lose a lot if the standoff continues. UK has been Kenya’s biggest tourism market. Apart from that, UK has great influence in the entire Europe,” he says.

Theophilus Shumwe, the general manager of Tipilikwani Camp, which exclusively depends on tourists from India says the situation in the sub continent has affected business, adding that local tourists cannot keep hotels in Mara in business.

He says that the continued mutation of coronavirus is another threat to the revival of tourism industry, saying that few days to the peak season in Mara, bookings have not started.

“Unlike in the years before the pandemic, we are yet to receive bookings. We have no plans even to recall our staff,” he says.

Lilly Waddington, the proprietor of UK Magical Safaris Limited, a travel agency which books and transfers UK tourists to Africa, says most citizens will not travel out even after the lockdown in UK is lifted.

“The situation is now even being worsened by the rapid spread of the Indian variant in Africa,” she says.

Meanwhile, about a week to the start of the peak season, most of other establishments in the Mara are yet to receive bookings or plan to recall staff they sent on unpaid leave last year.

Most of the over 200 hotels in the reserve closed in March last year because of lack of business due to non arrivals after the outbreak of Covid-19, which forced the government to suspend local and international flights.

“Most hotels would have by now been about 60 per cent to 75 per cent booked. If things continue this way, we will not have a season to write about,” says Isaac Kasura, the manager of Entumoto Eco Camp within Siana Conservancy.

Until the beginning of the year when some foreign arrivals started, hotels were being kept afloat by local tourists.

Hoteliers aver that new Covid-19 infections in Kenya would see dismal international arrivals, adding that because of the high cost of living, Kenyans cannot keep hotels afloat.

Tom Were, the general manager of Ashnil group of hotels, says hoteliers are pegging their hopes of return to business on successful vaccination against the pandemic.

“We are happy that the government is striving, despite hardships to acquire vaccines to ensure all Kenyans get vaccinated,” he says.

The low business volumes in the Mara has led to reduced earnings by locals who entirely depend on tourism activities, especially in the conservancies.

Nick Murero, the Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem Coordinator for Lake Victoria Basin, says before the end of the month, the first group of hundreds of wildebeests and zebras will cross Sand River and Mara River into the reserve from Serengeti, adding that about 2.8 million are expected to cross before August.

This is a quite a big number, especially considering that about two million to 2.5 million cross every year. 

“From an aerial view, the number seems to be big this year. Throughout, the grass cover in Serengeti where they returned to calve in September last year has been good. They are well fed,” he says.

He says that the recent moderate rains in Serengeti ensured continued availability of grass, which the animals depend on, adding that the herd is also large after calving.

They cross to Mara to mate and return to graze and calve, ecologists who have for many years monitored and recorded their movements say.

Meanwhile, tour operators have urged the government to give all players in the tourism sector tax relief due to lack of business in the last two years, claiming that most businesses collapsed because of the effects of Covid-19.

They said the sector has been hard hit with more than 3.5 million people who directly depended on it without income.

They further asked the government to reduce the cost of jet fuel, landing costs and materials used in building of hotels to resurrect the industry post Covid-19.

“Compared to others, the sector has been the most hit by the pandemic. We expect favourable conditions in the next financial year,” said Njoroge Gichina, the national chairman of Kenya Tour Guides and Drivers Association.