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Business Daily (Nairobi)

Africa: Kenya's Tourism Rivals on Continent Record Boom

Solomon Mburu

27 January 2008

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Kenya's biggest tourism competitors in Africa are reaping big from the political unrest that has hit the country.

The competitors include Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.

Most of the tourists who have cancelled their visits to Kenya have booked into these countries that offer similar products.

Concerns are now rife in the industry that it may be very hard to reverse the gains which the competitors are making if the situation in the country is not resolved soon.

"Our tourism products are not unique to Kenya and we have competitors who have similar products," said Mr Fred Kaigwa, the Kenya Tour Operators Association (KATO) chief executive.

According to Mr Kaigwa, charter group companies that have been accounting for many arrivals to the country are diverting to these places which have similar products to those in Kenya.

"The Charter Group companies are the ones who decide which destinations to sell to clients," said Mr Kaigwa.

The charter companies have decided not to take the risk of bringing visitors to Kenya and have diverted them to other destinations, he said.

Overseas Tour Operators who also sell tourism products from various African countries have also been diverting visitors to countries with similar products to Kenya, said Mr Kaigwa.

OTO's members such as Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd receive products from different countries and then sell them abroad.

Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa have for long offered stiff competition to Kenya's wildlife tourism and are now gaining an upper hand due to the instability in the country.

Neighbouring Tanzania has a well developed wildlife product with the Serengeti National Park offering a viable alternative to the Masai Mara.

Both parks share an ecosystem and wildlife move between them such as the great wildebeest migration.

The migration can be viewed from both the Mara and Serengeti.

According to Mike Macharia, the chief executive of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, most visitors coming to the Mara usually cross over to the Serengeti.

The Rift Valley, which crosses over into Tanzania, also has several lakes that provide popular tourist attractions.

These include Lake Natron considered by environmentalists as the last significant breeding site for the Lesser Flamingo.

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania also offers a viable option to Mt Kenya for mountaineers who come for the mountain climbing experience.

South Africa has a well developed wildlife product complete with a Safari tour with the Big Five in wildlife: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and cheetah.

It is also popular with trophy hunters since it allows controlled game hunting of small animals in its parks.

The country also has much better infrastructure and higher quality facilities than those in Kenya.

Competing against Mombasa's beaches are both Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar, both having functioning beach products with ancient coastal towns similar to those found at the Kenyan coast.

These include Bagamoyo and Kilwa. The two areas have long histories and are endowed with historical structures.

"There is no shortage of beach destinations to compete against our beaches in Mombasa," added Mr Kaigwa.

Other African countries with notable beach products include Seychelles and Mauritius which warm temperatures most times of the year.

South Africa, however, lacks beach tourism since it is usually cold being far in the Southern hemisphere.

According to Mr Macharia, some of Kenya's competitors may be carrying out "terrorist marketing," which involves portraying the negatives of competitors.

"Some can take advantage of the situation in the country and tell visitors that it is not a safe destination," he said.

Despite the competition, operators, however, remain optimistic of a revival once the unrest ends.

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