•In 2024, Kenya is expected to receive the highest number ever on international tourists, projected at 2,200,448, up from 1,987, 369 next year.
•Meanwhile, the country is banking on infrastructure development to attract visitors.
Kenya is arguably one of the leading travel destinations in the world, receiving global recognition on different stages.
From the famous parks and reserves in the savannah grasslands and rolling plains to leading beach destinations at the coast, the country has proven to be a wonderland for both domestic and international travellers.
Actually if you dint know, Kenya is among a few countries where you can have breakfast in the bush, a game drive, a desert escapade and sundowner at the beach on the same day.
In the run to the just concluded Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi, a four days trip proved just how much the East African nation has to offer.
A four hour drive got us ( a team of journalists from France, Rwanda and Kenya) to the unending plains of Laikipia.
About 17 kilometres from Nanyuki town lies Jambo Mutara Camp, an exclusive tented camp that sits above the tropical equator, in one of the most unique places on earth.
Nestled high on a cliff-top, the facility with 15 modernised tents enjoys panoramic views of raw, uninterrupted wilderness on a 20-acre conservancy.
While activities at national parks come to a close at 6pm, Mutara is one of the few places in the country where one can enjoy a guided night game drive with a guarantee of spotting predators.
It also offers what Kenya is now pushing for; “Signature experiences”, as the country diversifies away from the traditional safari and beach.
Among them is nature walks, Kayaking and runs with the rangers.
In deed, it is where the untamed Africa meets true luxury with the canvas tents tailor-made to offer you the most unforgettable camping experience.
With world-class interior furnishings and an ensuite bathroom, it is very easy to forget you are in a tent.
The camp is laid out to ensure you never feel crowded and the service remains personal.
“We offer exclusivity and personalized service,” explains Illa Kaveke, sales and marketing manager at Mutara, as we enjoy a sundowner by a man-made lake within the conservancy.
The premium facility which also attracts high end corporate meetings has already started receiving bookings for December, as the wider hotel industry in the country slowly picks from the tough Covid-19 pandemic period.
It had closed in 2020 when Covid struck before re-opening in March last year, albeit low business.
“Last year was really bad but business is now opening up. We are putting in place everything to ensure we meet the expectations of today’s traveller who is sensitive on experience and spontaneous,” Kaveke said.
An early morning bush breakfast the next day sets us off for what would be a fully packed day.
Opposite Mutara lies the vast Ol Pejeta conservancy where you can easily spot majority of the big five.
It covers 90,000 acres containing four different key habitats (plains, riverine, wetlands and mixed acacia bushland), hundreds of species and thousands of animals.
It is Africa's largest Black Rhino sanctuary as well as home to a number of chimpanzees.
A trip to Olpajeta gives you an opportunity to see the only remaining northern white rhino, whose population has been wiped out by years of widespread poaching.
They are now considered to be extinct in the wild.
Olpajeta currently has 164 black rhinos, 43 southern white rhinos and the two northern white rhinos.
It is also home to elephants, giraffes, zebras and different species of birds.
My favorite was the black-bellied bustard also known as the black-bellied korhaan, an African ground-dwelling bird in the bustard family.
The bustard family is known for its hard landing to the ground which will leave you doubting if it will fly again.
After a few hours at Olpajeta, we were on our way to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch a flight to Malindi. Our next destination was Watamu.
For a spontaneous traveller, this would seal a great deal of adventure as you lazy by the lounge of your favorite hotel feeling the pleasurable breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean.
Our spot was Temple Point Resort, located in Watamu Marine National Park at the junction of the Mida Creek and Indian Ocean.
At Temple Point, you will enjoy the most peaceful beaches, dive into the Indian Ocean and explore the Kenyan coast from a new perspective.
Overlooking a coral reef and its own private beach, it offers traditional Swahili-style rooms with a personalized touch of home away from home.
For yoga lovers, you can go wrong with instructor Sharon by the deck overlooking the Indian Ocean.
RECOVERY
Like any other hotel facility, Temple Point is also positioning itself for recovery as the country targets to hit a million international arrivals, and above, this year.
According to managing director Jan Langer, there is need to expand the Malindi Airport to allow more direct flights from the international markets.
This, he says, will also make the destination (Watamu) and Malindi cheaper.
Watamu offers both beach holiday and Safari at the Tsavo National Park, ideal for travellers seeking both experiences.
“Zanzibar for instance is booking because of direct flights. Expansion of the airport in Malindi will breath a fresh life to the region,” Langer said during an interview.
Tourism and Wildlife CS NajibBalala has also been calling for an open skies policy that will allow more airlines fly direct to the coast region, mainly the Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
“We need to open the skies so that we can be able to balance between the cost and prices. We can postpone opening the skies but we cannot avoid it,”Balala said during the Magical Kenya Travel Expo.
South Africa and Morocco are some of the African countries that have reaped big in opening their skies.
Kenya’s tourism earnings are projected to grow by 81 per cent to Sh265.4 billion this year.
This is expected to further grow 35 per cent to Sh359.1 billion next year, and then a projected Sh396.1 billion the year after.
In 2024, Kenya is expected to receive the highest number ever on international tourists, projected at 2,200,448, up from 1,987, 369 next year.
Meanwhile, the country is banking on infrastructure development to attract visitors.
They include the Nairobi Expressway which has eased movement around the city and the JKIA (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport).
"It takes only 15 minutes to your destination within the city, hotels and meetings,” Balala notes.
New terminal 1B and 1C at the JKIA are expected to be opened by November, with airlines that are currently being hosted at terminal II returning to the main facility.
The country has 44 signature experiences vetted by the Kenya Tourism Board.
They include Humpback Whale watching, kayaking expedition, kite surfing, mountaineering, yoga, rafting activities, vintage safari, home stays, village bike tour experience in Diani, cycling in the Mara, golfing, forest adventures, zip-lining among others.
To cement the country’s position in Africa as a preferred tourists destination, Kenya is building on marketing, experience (wider product offering) and enablers (digital space and infrastructure).
More than 160 buyers from over 35 countries of Kenya’s key source markets including Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas attended this year’s expo, as physical meetings returns after a two-year absence occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also attracted more than 200 exhibitors both local and international, offering hotel, travel and tourism products and experiences.
Don't listen to what they say, go see” ~ Chinese Proverb.