vallierojas: Kenya tragedy 'makes no impact on holiday bookings'

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Kenya tragedy 'makes no impact on holiday bookings'

UK tour operators report that there have been no cancellations and 'no impact at all on sales to Kenya'

Bookings to Kenya have been unaffected by the attack on a British couple staying at Kiwayu Safari Village, according to UK tour operators.

At a meeting in London on 14 September held by the Kenya Tourist Board, none of the 40 airlines and tour operators attending reported cancellations.

"I think the reason is two-fold," said the Kenya Tourist Board's UK director Jonathan Sloan. "People who have booked holidays still want to go and are reluctant to change their plans at short notice, especially as airlines and tour operators are unlikely to give a refund to anyone cancelling. Secondly, Kenya is a big country ? almost the size of France ? and Kiwayu is incredibly isolated."

Sloan added that the Kenyan government is now looking at ways to improve security at hotels along its coast following the attack on Sunday in which David Tebbutt was murdered and his wife Judith kidnapped.

Christian Cull, director of communications for Thomson and First Choice said: "Because we only operate flights to Mombasa, more than 200 miles away from the tragic events of the weekend, we can confirm that there has been no impact at all to our sales or to our programme in Kenya. Thomson and First Choice customers are what would be a six-hour bus journey and a ferry ride away from where the incident took place, in a very isolated part of the country.

The Foreign Office Travel advises against all but essential travel to within 30km of the Somali border. Kiwayu is 45km from the border. The furthest north most tourists get is to the island of Lamu, 55km south of Kiwayu, but operators selling Lamu hotels said bookings there have also been unaffected. Ingram Casey, director of toescapeto, which specialises in holidays to Africa, said: "Of the eight couples and one family due to travel to Lamu none have wanted to change their holiday plans. The response to this horrific incident seems to be a growing trend where travellers understand the geography, distances and circumstances, and weigh up risks in a real way."

Tribes Travel managing director Amanda Marks added: "There's been no hysteria or knee-jerk reaction ? no one has called in a panic and said 'get me out of there' ? it seems very calm."

Last year tourism to Kenya reached record levels, with more than one million visitors, of which British travellers accounted for the largest proportion. Visitors to Kiwayu represent a minuscule fraction of the total ? "not even a percent", according to Sloan.

The remoteness of the resort, which is operated by luxury safari lodge company Cheli & Peacock, is one of its selling points ? and no doubt an attraction for the celebrities who have stayed there, among them Tracey Emin and Mick Jagger.

"Staying in spacious cottages spread out along one kilometre of private sandy shoreline, guests will experience tranquillity and ultimate privacy. All one can hear is the sound of the sea, the wind rushing through palm leaves and the melodic twitter of exotic birds," says the blurb on the Cheli & Peacock website.

Now, it looks like its remoteness has ensured tourism to the rest of the country remains unaffected by the tragedy.

Isabel Choat