Malindi, yes, Malindi, Kenya.
Malindi, the much mistreated Malindi, the magical place that still makes us cry with nostalgia and memories of those who, for various reasons, have not been here for years, which every year brings back here hearts and souls that could easily afford a thousand other trips and places in the world, which like a magnet still attracts lovers of Africa a little more accessible, safe and vacationer than others.
Malindi with its Watamu marine satellite, white bays and cliffs, the ocean of a thousand shades of blue and nature (still) predominant over everything.
What could be the reason why Malindi was included among the first twenty destinations to be chosen in 2020 by the DIY hospitality giant Air BnB.
No, it's no joke, click here to believe: https://news.airbnb.com/20-for-2020/
The reason, reading between the lines is the exponential growth of alternative solutions to hotels and resorts that the destination is beginning to offer (88 percent increase in demand compared to last year), but it is also the value for money of the solutions to affect and especially the things that can be done nearby, using Malindi and Watamu as a "hub" to then move. Sea and connected excursions (kitesurfing, diving, deep-sea fishing), savannah with the parks just over an hour's drive away, forests, special places to visit, the possibility of interacting with social and solidarity projects and with communities that easily open their villages to welcome and share with foreigners. In short, the reasons that led Air BnB to include Malindi in an exclusive list that includes the island of Vanuatu, Calì in Colombia, Tokyo, Luxembourg, Maastricht and others, not only commercial, but concern the future potential of the destination.
Of course, it is to be expected that the institutions will also take a look at these results and at how tourism is changing and the inevitable direction it will take. This means being in order, especially for those who rent houses or rooms. But in the face of a recovery in tourism and certain earnings, as well as inevitable this event seems to be the minimum. You can no longer imagine the full mailbox and the tax collectors asleep, adapting to the times will be part of the process. And if it's a process of improvement, welcome. The signal given by Air BnB, in this sense, is the best.