Royal visit an endorsement of Kenya’s tourism industry, say hoteliers

The four-day royal visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Kenya will help boost the foreign tourist numbers in the country, hoteliers at the Kenyan Coast have said.

The King and Queen landed in Kenya on Monday night at the invitation of President William Ruto, and they are expected to attend engagements in Nairobi and Mombasa counties.

The visit reflects the ways Kenya and the UK are working together across trade and investment, development, and defence, building stronger links between Kenyans and British people and tackling climate change.

During the state banquet at State House Nairobi on Tuesday night, King Charles III said his family has particular affection for Kenya and the Kenyan people.

The King said his mother Queen Elizabeth (deceased) arrived in Kenya in 1952 as a Princess but left as Queen.

“It is extremely moving to read her diary from that visit, in which she wrote that she did not want to miss a moment of Kenya’s extraordinary landscapes,”  King Charles III said.

He said his father, the Duke of Edinburgh (deceased), attended the celebrations of Kenya’s independence celebration in 1963.

“Nearly 50 years later it was here, in sight of Mount Kenya, that my son, The Prince of Wales, proposed to his wife, now my beloved daughter-in-law,” King Charles III said.

At the Coast, the monarch will visit Mombasa’s Old Town with engagement with religious leaders, the Mtongwe Naval Base for a programme of Kenya’s first Marine Commando Unit trained by British Royal Marines and Kilifi county for a project of nature conservancy.

Bobby Kamani, the managing director of the Diani Reef Hotel at the South Coast, said the visit by the royal family attracted significant international media attention.

“This would result in increased visibility for Kenya as a tourist destination, showcasing its attractions, culture, and landscapes to a global audience,” Kamani said.

He said the number of tourists from the UK, which is among Kenya’s top five traditional source markets, is bound to increase in the coming months.

“Given the shared history and strong ties between Kenya and the UK, a visit by the British monarch would particularly resonate with British citizens, possibly leading to an uptick in British tourists to Kenya,” he said.

In the first six months of 2023, foreign tourist arrivals in Kenya rose by 32 per cent compared to a similar period last year.

Data from the Kenya Tourism Board showed that arrivals grew to 847,810 from 642,861 in a similar period in 2022.

The top five international arrivals by country were the US (118,480), Uganda (89,968), Tanzania (69,777), the UK (65,563) and India (42,805).

The Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Coast executive Dr Sam Ikwaye said the Kenya-UK ties will improve with the King’s visit.

“The royals have been visitors to Kenya since the 1950s when Queen Elizabeth came to Kenya. They have continued coming to Kenya over the years, and this is a vote of confidence for destination Kenya,” Ikwaye said.

He said in recent years, when the UK and the US issued travel advisories against Kenya, the diplomatic relations between the countries were severed.

“We are now expected to strengthen diplomacy between Kenya and the UK,” he said.

Last month, several Coast hotels won big during the 30th World Travel Awards- Africa and Indian Ocean Gala ceremony held at the Atlantis, The Royal, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Diamonds Dream of Africa, Swahili Beach, Baobab Beach and Resort, Billionaire Resort, Leopards Beach Hotel, and Sarova Whitesands were named among Africa’s best.

The pristine white sandy beach of Diani claimed its spot as Africa’s leading beach destination after being out of the limelight for three years.

Diani beat eight other African beach destinations including Bazaruto in Mozambique, Cape Maclear in Malawi, Cape Town in South Africa, and Dakhla in Morocco.

Others that were outshined by Diani Beach are; Nungwi Beach in Zanzibar, Plettenberg in South Africa, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Diani Beach was named Africa’s leading beach destination for six years in a row between 2014 and 2019.