Boom for tourism in Watamu as investors expand hotels

Investors have embarked on expanding resorts in Malindi and Watamu to revamp the tourism sector and bring back the lost glory.

Currently, the tourism sector is booming in Watamu while Malindi is struggling but steadily rising to reach the top again as a leading tourism destination.

In Malindi, investors have begun showing interest and are optimistic that they will soon be competing with Watamu in the tourism sector.

Already some investors have acquired The Kasa Malindi (formerly Leopard Point) a high-end Luxury resort in the posh Casuarina area and are bringing in a new form of tourism branding it as a fitness resort to attract the new global clientele of fitness tourists.

In Watamu, new investors have joined in the scenic Jacaranda area beaches to manage Jumbo and Bravo resorts which are located in a strategic zone that attracts tourists from all over the world.

A spot check in the resorts in Malindi, Watamu, Mamburui, and the larger Kilifi county revealed that the sector recorded a boom during the festive season and is still doing well today.

Yves Preissler the Managing Partner of The Kasa Malindi said their newly acquired five-star resort consists of luxurious facilities ready to host a lot of visitors.

So far, he said they have been doing extensive renovations in the resort and upgrading to make it a luxurious destination for Malindi.

He said their resort is within a turtle nesting site which makes it special and unique.

Currently, he said they plan to develop a fitness and wellness centre to offer relaxation and a luxurious experience for tourists.

Further, he said they recently renovated the Karen Blixen Malindi building and will be opening the Franchise of Afro Fit a fitness club out of Nairobi.

“We are looking forward to reviving Malindi town to bring life in Malindi with fitness, health, luxury accommodations and food, drive employment, drive investment and revive Malindi as a prime destination on the Coast of Kenya,” he said.

He believes Malindi will grow to its former fame that’s why they chose to invest in the town but appealed to the government to expand the runway to enable larger flights to land directly from abroad.

Olga Penchura the General manager of The Kasa Resort said they aim to frame the natural beauty existing in the area to make it attractive to tourists.

To her, Malindi can be the most famous top tourism destination globally such as The Thailand Coast or Philippines as it is unique.

"We do have for example the migration of the turtle right there which you can observe nearly daily how amazing is that and how unique that you see those creatures in the wildlife while being maybe 100 meters away from them and at the same time not interfering with their lives,” she said.

She also stressed that the opening of the international airport will uplift the status of Malindi and ease access for international tourists.

Giuseppe Buonasera the Owner of Barracuda Resort in Watamu, currently managing Bravo Resort in the Jacaranda area all under Alpi Toure group a renowned international tour company said they are happy for the efforts being done by the county and national government to improve the tourism sector.

He said the government is tarmacking the Watamu Jacaranda road which is just one kilometre away and will make their area very attractive for tourists.

Currently, tourism is doing well in Watamu adding that the resort town is growing very fast with hopes to reach more than 35,000 tourists occupancy for this year.

“We have 150 employees at this hotel (Bravo Resort) and if we can consider that for each family, every person that we employ we can have a rate of four or five kids we can easily say that we are supporting over 1500 locals around here,” he said.

On his part, Rudy Gentile of Jumbo Resort in the Jacaranda area of Watamu said they plan to expand the resort.

He said the completion of the tarmac road was key to attracting more tourists and pushing for more investments.

“We are planning to build more rooms, and renovate the existing rooms to attract high-quality tourists,” he said.

Pasquale Tirito the chairman of Jacaranda Beach Resorts said the festive season was good as they were fully booked and are still at 70 per cent bed occupancy at the resort.

He welcomed the scrapping of the Visa by the government which to him could probably reduce the costs and make it easy to obtain.

“But the problem is always the same, disconnection of power, no water, no road, you know always the same we are going on we do our job but not everybody does his job,” he said.