Hotels brace for impact as flight bans hurt tourism source markets

Players in the multi-billion-shilling tourism sector are predicting tough times ahead following the spread of the novel coronavirus in key markets.

Italy, which is the biggest source market for tourists, with two chartered planes landing in Mombasa every Wednesday and Thursday, has been the hardest hit European country.

In a press statement yesterday, the government said it would be suspending flights to the Coast from the north of Italy, “specifically Verona and Milan .... This part of Italy is currently experiencing coronavirus incidents, which could affect the safety of Kenyans”.

With the disease hitting more than 50 countries, tourism sector players yesterday painted a grim picture of business prospects. Still, Sam Ikwaye, the Coast branch executive officer of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC), called on the government to secure the country’s entry points.

“All responsible governments are taking drastic measures to cushion their citizens from the entry of the virus,” he said, adding that it is imperative that precautions are taken at sea ports, airports and border points.

Maureen Awuor, the chairperson of KAHC’s Watamu and Malindi sub-region, said an earlier government directive to have visitors from Italy, Korea and Iran quarantined would hurt the industry.

“Malindi and Watamu are havens for Italian tourists, and for one to board a flight from Italy only to arrive and be quarantined does not make sense at all,” she said.

Ms Awuor, however, said she was not opposed to the directive, but asked for deeper consultations with all stakeholders before decisions are made, saying the “Italian government cannot allow sick people to travel abroad”.

She added that Neos, which operates chartered flights from Italy to the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, has “issued a notice to passengers travelling or using its services into Kenya that it shall take no responsibility should they be prevented from disembarking”. Victor Shitakah, the chairman of the Kenya Coast Tourist Association, said while the government is employing drastic measures, safety is the paramount concern.

“Malindi and Watamu will definitely suffer heavily, but we want to ensure that we remain safe and secure,” he said.

Robert  Kinyua from the Association of Hotel Professionals Kenya added that hotels at the Masai Mara, which get a chunk of clients from China, may be forced to “scale down or close completely” following the suspension of direct flights from the country. See more stories on coronavirus on pages 21 and 31.