This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
Kenya's Tourism Industry Hit Hard by COVID-19 Pandemic ¶
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect global travel, Kenya's tourism industry is facing a significant downturn. With many resorts and hotels being taken over by wild animals, the industry is counting its losses.
According to Jackson Looseyia, a safari operator who has been in the business for 30 years, the current situation is unprecedented. 'I have never seen such a situation in my life,' he said. 'The closest we came to this was during the 2007-08 post-election violence, but tourists were back as soon as things got back to normal.'
Looseyia's Tangulia Mara Camp, a 16-bed tented camp in the heart of the Mara, is popular with Western tourists who are attracted by his vast knowledge of Africa's wildlife. However, with no humans in sight, the camp has become a resting place for vast herds of elephants and a maternity area for lions.
Foreign guests who normally visit Laikipia, which hosts some of Kenya's most exclusive lodges, are also staying away. The Lewa-based Sirikoi Lodge, for instance, was voted as the best resort in the world during the 2019 Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards. However, with no guests since mid-March, the lodge's general manager, Maria Pipelides, says they are facing significant losses.
Local air operators, such as Safarilink Aviation, have also been affected by the pandemic. The company operates 15 daily flights ferrying visitors to various holiday destinations in Kenya, but with close to 80 per cent of their business coming from Europe and North America, they have been forced to ground their planes.
According to Mike Macharia, head of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, hotels have lost close to Sh50 billion between March and May. The industry is hoping that the government can come up with a system of opening up the country while taking necessary precautions to keep the virus at bay.
