The Nation (Nairobi)
By Mazera Ndurya & Samuel Siringi
29 June 2009
Nairobi — Struggling to beat the economic hardships and the low tourist season, hotels in Mombasa have been doing a booming business following the arrival of more than 4,000 teachers and several other groups that are participating in the 2009 Kenya Secondary School Heads Association conference in the coastal city.
All categories of hotels and restaurants are cashing in on the conference which kicked off on Monday at the Wild Waters Centre in Nyali.
But the influx of the headteachers has also exposed the fact that most hotels lack adequate facilities to hold conferences of such magnitude.
In some hotels bookings have shot up to about 50 per cent occupancy from about 20 percent which has been prevailing since the low season begun in April, increasing their businesses.
The chairman of Coast Heads Association Enos Jillo Mwaruka set the tone of the conference by urging the school principals to take advantage of the meeting and also enjoy the hospitality and facilities in Mombasa.
By Sunday evening, when most of the teachers had arrived, entertainment spots such as Casablanca, Diners and Club Rio in the town and restaurants were packed especially at a time when the season is at its lowest.
One of the hotels in Bamburi, Sai Rock hotel recorded more than 40 teachers having sought accommodation. The hotel general manager David Langat said they are feeling the impact of the conference but said in future there is need for proper organisation.
"We have given them very competitive rates but the problem is that most of them resorted to last minute accommodation arrangements something which could be addressed if they also embrace modern technology and reserve bookings through the internet," he said.
Mr Langat said in future organizers of such conferences should avoid last minute rush noting that some of the conference participants nearly missed accommodation because they did not make advance bookings.
The general manager of Sunrise Resort and Spa Titus Kangangi said the conference of such a magnitude was good but also posed a challenge to investors to build facilities that would accommodate bigger numbers.
"This is a good example of domestic tourism which we need to embrace if the country is to survive the economic hardships and the traditional low season. It is conferencing business that is keeping the industry kicking especially in Nairobi because there are facilities with bigger capacity.
"In Mombasa, unfortunately, most of the hotels do not have the capacity to host more than 500 people and this locks us out of business when there is a much bigger group wishing to hold a conference in Mombasa," he said.
Mr Kangangi, the regional chairman of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers said investors need to put in money for a bigger conventional centre as this is the only way that can end the low season situation.
For the teachers, he said most hotels have given reasonable rates adding that with proper planning similar arrangements could be made to attract more Kenyans to enjoy facilities in the tourism industry.
As head teachers streamed to the venue of the conference for the first day, hundreds of people struggled to gain business from the visiting teachers.
Major publishers among them then Oxford University Press and Longhorn were in whirl as their representatives tried to catch the attention of the visitors to sell their wares which ranged from text books and writing materials.
On the other hand, those who were not allowed into the venue to sell their goods took strategic positions at the entrance where they hawked items such as kikoy and batik shirts, hats and other artifacts.
The 34th annual conference will be officially opened by the vice president Kalonzo Musyoka with other key speakers such as education minister Prof Sam Ongeri, Tourism minister Najib Balala, his public service counterpart Dalmas Otieno among others.
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