There is hope in the horizon for tourism sector players in Malindi after slump tourism last year that was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that has destructed world economy. – By Ramadhan Kambi.
With the July month just ahead, the players are upbeat that there is going to be major tourism resurrection and as thus, they are ready to embrace it after the slump.
Now, stakeholders say they are ready and prepared to receive guests both locally and internationally having strived to keep the resort town and beaches clean through their monthly clean-ups that have proved successful.
In line with the Covid-19 pandemic protocols set by the government, the hoteliers have now embarked on speed to ensure all workers are vaccinated.
Due to the Covid-19 protocols the stakeholders under the umbrella of Progressive welfare association of Malindi(PWAM) has been organizing monthly cleanups differently by ensuring people clean their places including hotels, business premises in the town, estates, beaches and it has brought positive results as the town is very clean.
A veteran hotelier Phillip Chai who is also an official of PWAM that is organizing the monthly clean-ups said they are ready to welcome the resurrection of tourism in Malindi.
Speaking in Malindi during this month clean-up excursive Mr Chai said they are optimistic that tourism will make a comeback as there will be International charter flights which would be coming to Mombasa beginning July.
“As far as Malindi is concerned and Kilifi in total we are telling the world that we are ready to welcome the resurrection of tourism activities in Malindi. We have maintained clean beaches, clean town and environment and we are ready to welcome visitors to come holiday with us, enjoy the tranquility that Malindi has,” he said.
The veteran hotelier said already Lufthansa airlines will begin to fly into Kenya from July while KLM shall follow suit from October this year with two flights in a week.
“This is a sign of the resurrection of tourism and it an idea which we are welcoming in Malindi which I believe is going to assist a lot of our people,” he said.
Other flights which will add to the two airlines include the Ethiopian airlines that fly to Italy and Mombasa, Turkish airline together with other flights that are scheduled to come to Mombasa.
This year he said tourists will have a new tourism escapade after thousands of turtles hatched from nests that are within the marine protected areas.
Chai said when turtles are ready to lay again, they will come back to the shores and it will be a major tourist attraction.
“That is an event for many people to come and see, we are appealing even to the Kenyan domestic tourists to come and see what Malindi has to offer,” he said.
Chairman of the Kilifi county beach operators Justin Kitsao who led colleagues in cleaning the beach area said Malindi has been an international tourism destination but faced some cleanliness challenges.
He lauded combined efforts initiated by PWAM as having transformed the once dirty town into a beautiful resort town.
He said turtles that used to hatch within the marine protected areas have begun to make a comeback because of the cleanliness; something he said was a major tourist attraction.
“As beach operators, hoteliers, and all others who depend on the sector we are optimistic that next month up to August when the tourism season begins there will be new tourism attractions due to the cleanliness of the town,” he said.
The pandemic he said really affected those depending on the tourism and now they are hopeful things will resume for the better.
One of the Baharini women beach operators Pili Kadzo Baharini said they are well prepared to receive guests as they have maintained cleanliness.
“Everybody wears masks, we are sensitizing our people to keep social distance the aim is to ensure we reduce the spread of the pandemic so that business resumes as the effects were serious,” she said.
Hope was also in the air for Carlos Dume Safari, a tourism seller in Malindi who said that they expect from July normal tourism activities will resume.
He said guests should now visit Malindi because the resort town is now clean and ready for resumption of tourism.
“We have maintained cleanliness in the beaches, and following the Covid-19 pandemic protocols, so we urge visitors to come,” he said.
Baharini women group chairperson Consolata Ogutu said said since March last year they have had challenges in the tourism sector.
“We ask tourists to come so that women can do business and ensure they get daily bread and support the families,” she said.
She also called on the government to support the operators with incentives to start their businesses afresh as their businesses were affected.
Another tourism player, Conrad Masinde Resident from Lamalindina flats area said they teamed up with young children to clean the area which also has hotels to ensure children learn to live in a clean environment.
