Tour operators in Kenya hopeful as restrictions are eased

Tourism has been a powerful vehicle for economic growth and job creation all over the world and Kenya is no exception. According to an economic survey released by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, Kenya's tourism earnings grew by 3.9 percent from $1.4 billion in 2018 to $1.5 billion in 2019.

However, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic has brought a sudden halt to this growth and the tourism sector in the country is staring at losses. Most tour operators in Kenya have relied on international visitors, who form a big chunk of their clientele.

As a result of the travel bans and movement restrictions that were introduced globally at the onset of the pandemic, Kenyan tour operators were left with a tiny local tourism customer base leading to the closure of business in most cases and downscaling in some.

Lydia Mbuthia, an administration manager at Oryx Safaris based in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, said that though business is picking up at a very slow pace, the situation was far worse during the beginning of the pandemic.

"Business is really sluggish at the moment although most countries have opened international borders. In spite of the safety protocols in place, potential clients are still not convinced enough about their safety at the airports, in the aircraft and also at the destinations themselves," Mbuthia said.

"Despite the slow business, we are thankful to be able to partially open the business because during the early stages of the pandemic in March, we had to completely close the business and send everyone home," she added.

According to Mbuthia, her tour company, which employs five people at its offices and more than 10 drivers for their tour vans, is now operating with only two people at the head office and drivers are called only when they are needed.

"The period between July and October is normally a peak season for us due to the famous wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara. Last year at this time we had received over 30 inquiries and around 20 were converted into bookings," Mbuthia said.

"This year, however, we have had only three inquiries where one has been declined and the other two are still pending. Despite that, we are happy that at least we are starting to get some inquiries and we hope that soon it will be business as usual."

In a bid to revive the tourism sector, Najib Balala, Kenya's Minister for Tourism, has launched a campaign aimed at encouraging Kenyans to increase their visits to local tourist attractions. While on a visit to the Forest Adventure attraction in the outskirts of Nairobi on Aug 17, Balala asked Kenyans to embrace diverse tourism experiences, especially those that are tailor made to suit local Kenyan preferences.

"It's high time we looked beyond what we are conventionally used to and discover these hidden gems that are spread out across the country. I would like to assure players in the tourism industry that the government is ready to work with you to come up with attractive packages that will boost local tourism," Balala said.

As pandemic restrictions are relaxed and with more people getting the courage to travel, Mbuthia is hopeful that business in the tourism sector also will start to pick up.

"There are pretty good signs that some recovery will begin as more flights are resuming. As tour operators, we are ready to work closely with the government and other stakeholders to ensure coronavirus safety protocols are adhered to," Mbuthia said.

"In that way, we can slowly but surely win the hearts of tourists and return tourism back to its previous levels. Millions are employed in this sector and therefore each one of us has to play their role to ensure that we are back on track," she added.