The Kenyan tourism industry is suffering shocks from the loss of business to neighbouring Tanzania with the peak season starting. Reports indicate that luxury tourist lodges in Kenya’s Maasai Mara are experiencing full bookings.

The surge experienced is due to the annual wildebeest migration. However, notably, most tourists are gaining entry to the park through Tanzania’s Serengeti rather than Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

This follows after the government’s dramatic decision to increase park fees from around Sh. 9,200 ($70) to Sh. 26,500 ($200). On the neighbour’s side, the fees still stand at $70.

According to Fred Odek, Chairperson of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators and the Kenya Tourism Federation, tourist numbers in Kenya are high but still fall short of traditional expectations.

Several tour operators who favoured the Mara have reportedly diverted their safaris through the Tanzanian side in response to the increased fees. Stakeholders in the industry have attributed the detrimental loss of bookings to the ongoing nationwide protests.

Speaking on Citizen TV, Lias Kibutu, a Board Member of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association expressed his dissatisfaction with the tourism prospects the country is currently grappling with. He opined that Kenya faces a competitive disadvantage.

“Kenya has single-handedly boosted tourism for Tanzania and they’re improving their game. We are losing bookings and investments to them,” Kibutu stated.

He clarified that while there have been minimal cancellations in the Kenyan tourism spark, the ripple effect of new business for the sector has been felt.

Kenyans, foreigners set to pay three times more to visit Maasai Mara

“We’ve not had many cancellations, but there’s no new business while this is considered the height of the peak season. Hotels in Diani, Watamu, and Malindi are experiencing an occupancy rate of 80% to 90%,” he added.

On the other hand, another stakeholder, Mohammed Hersi who is the Founding Chair of the Kenya Tourism Federation, stated that the bigger picture that the media have painted over the last few weeks due to protests has played a hand in a tourist’s perception of Kenya.

He stated that tourism is the first victim of violence in any country as visitors monitor different aspects before travelling.

“Tourists become worried when they see disturbing headlines and images of violence from countries they want to visit. When there are clashes, tourism is the first to be affected and last to recover. Protests and tourism are incompatible because they disrupt those who visit for holidays and businesses,” he said.

Below is a list of all the new rates:

1. Foreign tourists above 18 years – Sh. 26,500 ($200)
2. Foreign children between 9 and 17 years – Sh. 6,625 ($50)
3. Foreign children aged 8 and below – Free Entry
4. Kenyan adults – Sh. 3,000
5. Children & Students – Sh. 1,000
6. Local Adult Residents (Narok County) – Sh. 2,000
7. Local children above 10 years – Sh. 500