Hotel Bookings Along the Coast Spike for December Holidays

If there was a time you should book a hotel in the coastal region of Kenya, this is your chance. Tourists have renewed their confidence and their upsurge for wanting to spend time in coast has seen almost all the favorite hotels already booked.

Bobby Kamani, the MD of Diani Reef at the South Coast, says that their hotel has seen an improvement since the beginning of December.

“This festive season will be a busy one. People have renewed their confidence in choosing Diani as their perfect holiday destination. We have seen an increase in visits by international clientele visiting Diani and the domestic market has also improved tremendously,” he said.

According to Kamani, the early bookings and the increased number of visitations all give a clear indication that 2019 will be a good year for the hospitality industry.

Hasnain Noorani of PrideInn Hotels also confirmed that December has seen a spike in bookings by domestic folks looking to have fun in the North Coast and the region as a whole.

“The increased number of low-budget carriers to the coastal city of Mombasa has facilitated the improvement in visits this holiday season,” he said.

He noted that the transport industry and the hospitality sector have a symbiotic correlation that should be acknowledged.

“The transport industry, for the longest time has been the pivotal force driving domestic tourism. The number of people using airlines has increased all thanks to the decreased transport costs and this has resulted solely from the increase in a number of budget carriers to and from Mombasa,” he said.

Silverstone Air Services, a local airline in September increased the number of direct flights in Nairobi-Mombasa route to better target tourists on the coastal circuit. Other airlines also increased the number of flights to the coastal region, a move which has led to a reduction in fare prices.

According to Victor Shitakah, the Coast Regional Manager for PrideInn Hotels, also says that hotels in the county have realized a spike in the number of reservations with the majority of visitors being locals.

Clearly, holidaymakers are choosing flights as opposed to the long hours of road travel, which is why the additional flights to the County’s airport will further better the hospitality industry in the coast.