For more than 30 years, Malindi has been dominated by Italian tourists, who now call it their second home.
Their love affair with the coastal town started in the late 1970s, during the construction and launch of San Marco Space Agency by the Italian government. The first batch of Italians who worked there loved the resort town so much, they brought their families, friends and relatives.
Since then, Italians have been coming in large numbers, with some setting up holiday homes. Today, some Italians have intermarried with residents and can even speak Kiswahili fluently.
Such is the dominance of Italians that the town has earned the nickname ‘Little Italy’.
Records show that Italians own more than 50 hotels in the resort town and have employed more than 15,000 workers. Furthermore, Malindi has over 1,500 private villas and cottages, which provide 5,000-7,000 accommodation units for tourists and offer jobs to over 10,000 residents.
There are also about 30,000 tourists who visit Malindi annually, but the peak was in 2007, when a record 80,000 Italians went to the resort town on holiday. The numbers dropped thereafter due to the world economic crisis, which hit Italy hard.
WHY THEY LOVE IT
Malindi and Watamu have white, pristine and golden sandy beaches. The weather is sunny and the people friendly.
Moreover, the town is a six-to-eight-hour flight from Italy. The Italian language is also widely spoken by residents, even more than English, as it is regarded as the ‘language of business’.
These factors have proven irresistible to Italian holidaymakers, who include billionaires, international celebrities and top politicians looking for privacy and tranquility.
Among the bigwigs who own property in Malindi or have visited are Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore, the former Formula One boss; former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, international super model Naomi Campbell and Formula One driver Fernando Alonso.
Italian holidaymakers who come to Malindi for their first time are amazed by its beauty, luring some of them to come back and stay permanently.
Freddie Di Curatollo, who has lived in Malindi for over 30 years and promoting tourism and culture for several years, is a case in point. He had a traditional Giriama wedding and was initiated to the local culture. His Giriama name is Mbogo wa Kimera, and he has even learnt the language, making it easier for him to communicate with natives.
Curatollo is among the few Italians who grew up from childhood in the resort town, and he has seen Malindi’s tourism sector grow. He says residents’ relationship with Italians has improved their lives and helped Italians settle.
“We are very happy now because of this kind of unity between Italians and Kenyans,” he says.
Curratollo says the opening of San Marco built bridges with Italy. “Many Italians began to come to Malindi, and when they returned in Italy they started saying, ‘This is a nice place, people are very kind,’” he says.
Apart from beaches, many Italians love Malindi because of its nearness to the Tsavo National Park.
“Many people come here because they have good business, but there are others who come because they feel good in the heart. For them it’s a special place!” he says.
COMPARISONS TO ITALY
Curatollo, whose father is a retired San Marco employee, says
Malindi is similar to South Italy, particularly Cecily. However, he says, it has something more — there is no mafia.
“Italy has a lot of culture and history, but if there is a place in Kenya with a lot of history, it is Malindi. Because the first Portuguese, first Chinese, first Arabs came to Malindi before going to the other parts of Kenya,” he says.
“And when it comes to culture, Italians love the Mijikenda community because it is full of traditions.”
Some Italians, such as former San Marco general manager Franco Esposito, have even joined politics. He vied for the Magarini parliamentary seat three times but lost all of them. Esposito was nicknamed ‘Kasoso Baya’ by the Giriama.
During our Interview, Curatollo said he understands a little Giriama, like greetings, and spoke it almost fluently.
“Mimi namanya Giriama chache lakini, kama sindadze, sinda manawe, nambola ndovidzo, kara kara kalazeto (I know a little Giriama, like good morning, good evening, how about you, I’m fine , that’s good, its ok, good night),” he says.
Curatollo admits that Italian tourist numbers in Malindi have dropped, and at times it’s difficult to hit 20,000 annually. However, he is optimistic that the numbers will rise again in the near future.
“We intend to go back to those times when we were close to having 100,000 Italian tourists a year,” he says.
Apart from the economic crisis, which hit Italy more than Kenya, he blames the tourist decline on fear of terrorism and competition from other new tourist destinations.
Curatollo says the government needs to invest more in infrastructure, such as roads, and the international airport to make the destination better.
“Airport is a very important issue for us. We hope soon to have international flights from abroad to Malindi that will enhance a lot of our tourism and the life of everybody,” he says.
FULL-YEAR AVAILABILITY
Italians have contributed a lot to Malindi, including job creation. Most residents work in Italian establishments, such as hotels, villas and cottages. Some, including young children, speak Italian and end up getting jobs in the Italian tourism industry.
Politician Esposito, who has also lived in Malindi for many years, says most residents work as cooks, houseboys, among many other jobs.
“Some Italians have married Kenyans and brought them to live in Italy. Some of them get Italian passports as well, so there is symbiosis between Kenya and Italy,” the former GM says. He says this has led to Italians investing a lot in Malindi, and hopes tourism will thrive in future.
Asked about why Italians fall in love with Kenya, Esposito says it’s because of temperature and good weather. Malindi does not have any winter. The worst it gets is a rainy season from April to May.
“If you fly from Rome to here it’s six and a half hours only. It’s very close, the weather is good, and the country is beautiful,” he adds.
Esposito says apart from the beaches, Kenya also offers other attractions, such as highlands, mountains, lakes, deserts and the national park. Due to the close relationship between Italy and Malindi, there is an office of the Italian consulate in the resort town.
Roberto Macri, the former consulate of Italy in Malindi, says historically, for Malindi destination to retain Italian tourists for over 35 years, it means there are strong ties.
“Basically from Italy in a few hours you are under the equator, and that’s is beautiful,” he says.
Macri says Italy has beautiful destinations, such as Sardenia, but they cannot compare to Kenya, because they are available only for six months, while in Malindi a tourist can stay for a whole year.
Even during the rainy season, Macri says, a tourist can still stay in Malindi because the climate is beautiful. When it’s winter in Italy, they come to enjoy the sun in Malindi.
Italians also enjoy a lot of peace in Malindi and its friendly people, he says. The strong bond between Italians and residents makes it is easier for them to learn the language and interact with them.
And so Malindi will remain “home away from home” to the Italians.