Thanks to the Jubilee government increased marketing of our beautiful country globally, the tourists are trooping in in droves.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/3893508/medRes/1618938/-/maxw/900/-/4iu4r5z/-/tours.jpg
A UN agency has said 1.3 million tourists spent Sh100 billion in Kenya last year, a 17 per cent increase from the previous Sh85 billion. The UN World Tourism Organisation says total international arrivals by air and by sea increased by 16.7 per cent to stand at 877,602 tourists compared to 752,073 in 2015. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, handled the highest number of tourists visiting Kenya at 782,013 compared to 672,789 in 2015. Kenya received 2,717 cruise passengers in the past year with prospects for 2017 looking up especially after the government and donors invested Sh300 million in building of a modern cruise ship docking complex at Mombasa port expected to be ready by June. Improved security and reduced terrorist activities motivated tourists to visit Kenya, mostly for leisure (73 per cent), business and conferences at 14 per cent compared to 16 per cent in 2015, with friends and family visits accounting for eight per cent with transit and study taking up three and one per cent respectively.Mombasa recorded a 22.2 per cent rise in arrivals at Moi International Airport with 92,872 visitors compared to 75,983 in 2015.
A welcome respite. I believe we can earn more. I donât like how tourism is currently structured.
Bw. @spear,
Hebu imagine if Kenya had allowed the Al Kebab to continue making forays into the Coast to kidnap and kill tourists back in 2011, or if Raila and Kalonzoâs cowardly calls for a withdrawal (without back-up policy!) would have been heeded.
[SIZE=6]Kenya says kidnapping provocation by al Shabaab[/SIZE]
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The numbers reported above were achieved despite repeated politically-motivated âtravel advisoriesâ that discourage visits to Kenya, often without giving any concrete reasons why.[/SIZE]
I get you, I would rather have 1 million high net tourist spenders than 2 million bag backers. More marketing needs to be done in Russia and China since they spend big on holidays.
Russia? You do not want those guys coming in droves to Kenya, and Chinese tourists are also not that generous. Both have yet to learn how to get along with other cultures and act civilized abroad. Like it or not, the traveled American is the best tourist, for he does not mind paying 3000 shillings for a 300 bob wood carving!:D:D:D
[SIZE=6]Pardon your French: Chinese tourists and a clash of cultures in Paris
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[SIZE=4]Are we ready for this kind of hostility and hospitality, or should we not only take the more refined Chinese tourist?
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The question is, where is the 1 billion dollars? 80% of it was pocketed by five star hotels at the coast, and Nairobi etcâŚthe remaining 20% was pocketed by the mwananchi. The real beneficiaries of high tourism numbers are five star hotels that sometimes boast of 100% occupancy while charging an arm and a leg for the rooms. Unapata room ya $200 per night, hotel iko na 100 roomsâŚna iko 100% booked. Hiyo time hujahesabu profit ya food na entertainmentâŚI can only imagine how much Kempinski and the likes make in one year kama last year pekee.
⌠whatâs your point?
The cash from tourism is not helping the ordinary mwananchi as implied by the article.
I believe that a huge percentage in these numbers are ex Kenyans who live and work abroad and most of whom have different Nationalities and/or dual citizenship.
Next time chungeni venye you treat your fellow brothers and sisters who live abroad; they are the biggest contributors to the Kenyan economy.
Na si tafadhali!..
What a stupid view of economics, business operations and entrepreneurship. Iâm trying to visualize how forcing $200 tourists into Sh.4.000 boarding and lodgings would improve the situation, and it does not compute.
@M2Random, if you were Najib Balala, how would you retool Kenyan tourism?
UmmmâŚso you mean you do not see employment created in the hotels, plus income earned across the various supply chains (artifacts, food, transport, etc, etc), in addition to the revenue earned by the govt?
As always, the point flew right above your head. Nobody talked about forcing tourists to pay lessâŚthat is just your imagination. My point is that there should be a redistribution mechanism that ensures the ordinary mwananchi benefits from increased tourism. My suggestion is to increase taxation on 4 and five star hotels that handle the bulk of these touristsâŚin a manner that will not adversely discourage investment, but at the same time, be beneficial to mwananchi directly or indirectly. Actually, you need economics lessons 101 for suggesting such a dumb idea of âforcing $200 tourists into Sh.4.000 boarding and lodgingsâ
Did you even read before typing? âso you mean you do not see employment createdâ is what you imaginedâŚnot what I wrote. Let me repeat for clarity, the income from tourism does not benefit the ordinary mwananchi to the extent that it shouldâŚthis does not mean that it is not helpingâŚI mean that it is not enough dumbass. Out of that 1 billion USD, only 20-30% trickles down to mwananchiâŚthe remaining 80% is pocketed by the big hotels. The tourism ministry uses taxpayers money to advertise Kenya abroadâŚKenyans should get more than that meagre 20%. If you still dont get that point, huwezi funzika
I agree with you on Chinkus,iâve been thinking hard of a high moving consumer product with a decent shelf life that i can sell to these copy pasted beings
:D:D:D:D:D:D
âThe cash from tourism is not helping the ordinary mwananchi as implied by the articleâ. I was responding to this, not what you have just explained. I donât know if you expect villagers to read your mind and know what you mean, dumbass. :). Plus, where did you get those percentages? Ama you expect us to believe you just because you have quoted percentage figures?
Stop misinterpreting me. Your words went like this:
The real beneficiaries of high tourism numbers are five star hotels that sometimes boast of 100% occupancy while charging an arm and a leg for the rooms. Unapata room ya $200 per night, hotel iko na 100 roomsâŚna iko 100% booked.
These people deliberately choose to come to Kenya to enjoy luxury accommodation and are willing to pay that $200 a night. My mention of Ksh. 4000 was because you seem to have a thing against 5-star business and their profitability.
Then, thinking that you are expounding on your stupid economics, you suggest irrational fiscal measures to âredistributeâ that income from the great occupancy of luxury hotels.
My suggestion is to increase taxation on 4 and five star hotels that handle the bulk of these touristsâŚin a manner that will not adversely discourage investment, but at the same time, be beneficial to mwananchi directly or indirectly.
Do you realize that Jubilee has lowered airport, visa and other fees in order to stimulate tourism, and it is thanks to that policy that the visitor arrivals have been rising?
You cannot selectively target 4 and 5 star hotels whose success we are celebrating. Any arbitrary increase in taxes would âadversely discourage investmentâ. Why do you think they handle the bulk of the business?
It is up to the simpler establishments to take advantage of the positive business climate to raise their service levels, so that tourists can also be booked into their hotels and lodges, and not what you suggest: de-winging the high flyers.
That socialist bullshit of yours is what would kill the goose.
How true is this?
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China has the biggest middle-class in the world. Due to the one China policy almost all have one child to pamper and a trip here is perfect. So letâs target the families. Case of point a local tour firm booked an extended Chinese family vacation of 20 families. They booked a bus for their use. When they arrived, they werenât happy. The tour firm had to quickly organize 20 tour cars, each for every family of three members. That was just the start. They spent big throughout.
It depends on your tour firm. Some want to maximize on the few clients they have. Try Born Venture, they have offers of 20k for 5 days in coast including all meals, travel and as much alcohol you can drink.
@vuja de,
I hope we are not comparing those cheap business all-in trips to Dubai where one finds themselves fighting for space between the clandestine slice-sellers of Deira. If it involves an Emirates Flight and stays at the Sheraton or similar, then the comparison is fair.