The tourism sector on the Kenyan coast is ready to use every precautionary measure to safely welcome those who have chosen seaside destinations for the Christmas holidays, starting today and tomorrow.
Hotels in Diani, Mombasa, Kilifi, Watamu and Malindi, and to some extent also Lamu, which are not necessarily dependent on western tour operators, will be at least 60% full, a figure that underlines the clear recovery compared to all previous months, when after the closure of August, for example, they never went over 25%.
Airlines are planning new flights to Ukunda and Malindi, while the SGR Nairobi-Mombasa railway will add an extra daily run.
For their part, hoteliers have reinforced containment and control measures and will try not to fail to satisfy the desire for fun of their customers who come mainly from Nairobi.
"We have decided not to deprive the tourists of Watamu of the usual pleasure of our popular Beach Party," explains Roberto Lenzi, owner of Paparemo Beach, "so we have created the 'Social Distance Beach Party', which from this Saturday, 19 December, from 5pm until just before curfew, will make people dance with all precautions and above all within a metre and a half of each other. It's a way of conveying joy, but also the awareness that Covid-19 is still among us, even if the declining percentages and the few serious cases give cause for hope.
Alongside the initiatives in Watamu, the Malindsian structures are also promising regular evenings in which the motto "few but good and spaced out" could be a new slogan for everyone. So from this evening, as already announced by the portal, White Moon Fridays are starting, with aperitifs and live music in a renovated environment, while Saturday is always the turn of the review, with tables well away from each other and sanitisation at hand.
On the other hand, the hygiene offices on the coast have intensified their controls in recent days, and there is no doubt that for those who do not want to miss out on a drink or dinner with friends, public places that respect protocol are much safer than dinners with friends and impromptu parties. Those would be particularly to be avoided.
Between Lamu and Diani, but also in Malindi and Watamu, some boutique hotels require their guests to wear a tampon, obviously showing that of their staff members.
Others are launching into alternative activities that naturally keep the risk of contagion at bay, such as yoga (already back in fashion in recent seasons and now even more popular) and water aerobics. It is time to understand, as humanity does, which way tourism is going and adjust its offer. Kenya has the resources, especially in its nature, to do this.