Every year since Kenya has been a renowned destination for tourism, it is usually said that August is an atypical season for vacationing in this beautiful country.
Actually, it is only and exclusively so if one considers it as a beach and sun destination, for two reasons: the first is that in Italy it is simultaneously the summer and (one assumes, net of the climate changes of recent years) hot sun season. The second is precisely because on the Kenyan coast we are instead witnessing a kind of spring, that is, the tail end of the rainy season, in which the humid wind strengthens and slowly gives way to the arrival of drier currents that will herald the small rains of late October and from there, with variations of a few weeks, the arrival of the hot season.
But Kenya, fortunately for it, is not just about white beaches and the Indian Ocean; rather, it is one of the African countries where the traveler can enjoy many different settings and related hospitality services that include savannah-only safari destinations, mountainous ones, volcanic lakes, forests and nature reserves at every altitude and with various geophysical connotations.
So this year, as is often the case, the coast is certainly not as populated as it can be in December and January, during the Christmas holidays or the European winter months. All of this is normal, but there is data to suggest that things could be better if at least in certain destinations August was not considered by airfare and hotel rate payers to be "very high season."
The two are closely related, unfortunately, because high flight prices are matched by accommodations charging higher lodging rates than in later months. This also happens because of the simultaneous closure of schools and many Kenyan offices in August.
Watamu, Malindi, and Diani, however, suffer from this duality, because after citizens were forced not to leave the country, affluent Kenyans flocked to foreign destinations, returning to travel, while precisely those who decide to frequent the country coming from another continent favor safaris. And you have to understand, those who love Africa often choose the month of August to visit the parks, where the animals come back out and give their unintentional but very welcome show, with nature at its most beautiful after the rains. The attraction of the great wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara is a shining example.
But the Kenya of those who love nature and animals almost never includes seaside resorts, just as those who choose Malindi and other coastal tourist destinations in August do so for reasons that do not belong exclusively to Africa. There are those who have homes, those who have an interest in spending time relaxing, and those who have interests and relationships of all kinds. Then there is the people of charters and "all inclusive" vacations who are often attracted by the offers of tour operators or agencies that sell Kenya, as well as Zanzibar in Tanzania, for example, as all-around vacation spots, that is, sea sun and fun, not to mention that Watamu, the most popular, but also Diani, give the possibility of combining the sea itself with a safari a few hours' drive from the resort. And then there is the possibility of a dive into the real Africa, putting your nose outside the host structure and taking advantage of it to get to know a special reality that can give unique emotions.
In all this, the drop in attendance compared to the golden years of foreign tourism on Kenyan beaches is mainly due to the flight factor. Because then, as Italian hoteliers remember for example, those who arrive discover that the purchasing power of the euro against the local currency, the shilling, is definitely more favorable than the previous season.
One thing is certain, those who have chosen Kenya, have already arrived or are arriving these days, have made an excellent choice, as long as they have not considered solely sun and sea.