Nation Correspondent
13 July 2004
Nairobi — The Kenya Tourism Board has been asked to review its marketing strategies targeting the German market to save it from collapse.
A Malindi hotelier said there was need to improve the inflow of tourists from that country, whose bookings to Kenya have nearly collapsed.
Mr Beard Graff, the managing director of Eden Roc Hotel, warned that unless new strategies involving hoteliers and tour operators with expertise in handling the German market were considered, Kenya would continue to lose tourists from that country.
He called for thorough studies to find out why the number of German tourists booking holidays in Kenya was dwindling.
Talking to the Press in Malindi, Mr Graff said the collapse of the German market had led to the closure of hotels such as Blue Marlin and Lawfords.
He said the low bed occupancies at Eden Roc had to do with marketing and quality of infrastructure.
The hotelier said failure by the Government to expand Malindi airport to reduce flight and travel delays for tourists impacted negatively on tourism, especially in Malindi where the poor road from Mombasa discouraged that means of travel.
"How does the Government expect holiday makers who have been flying for more than eight hours to take a two hours drive on the poor road between Moi International Airport and Malindi?" asked Mr Graff.
He stressed the need for a clean environment and control of freelance beach and street traders, tour guides and safari sellers who confronted tourists as soon as they left their hotels for leisure walks and shopping.
The Kenya Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Mr Graff said, had a role to play in ensuring that whatever they were marketing was actually on offer in the country.
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