Back tourism recovery

As the hotel and hospitality industry struggles to recover from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic of several years ago, the owners and operators need full support from the government. There have been promising recovery efforts that should not be undermined by unfair directives.

This explains why hoteliers are up in arms over Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua’s unilateral order requiring fresh ratings of their facilities. Dr Mutua has outlined strict criteria for new hotel classification, warning of dire consequences for those who fail to meet the standards.

He has said that some hotels may be downgraded and the ratings lowered as a result of their shortcomings. According to the CS, some are not up to the standard at which they are rated and action will be taken, including possible shutdowns by the government.

Accusing some unnamed hotels of engaging in the shady business of increasing their own ratings, CS Mutua has called out the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) for allegedly sleeping on the job and failing to stop manipulations. Indeed, it is the job of the TRA to constantly review the rankings.

In response, hoteliers have denounced the blanket condemnation and warned that this could undermine the country’s status as a prime tourist destination. Incidentally, Kenya’s ranking is the best in the East African region and is even adopted by the other countries. The Kenya Coast Tourism Association has also taken great exemption to the threat to close down businesses, describing it as unfortunate.

The star-rating system evaluates hotels and restaurants based on various criteria, including location, decor, staff grooming, and linguistic diversity. Five-star facilities are expected to exceed these standards, while offering high-class amenities and customer service.

There is a need to maintain high standards and transparency in the hotel and hospitality sector to uphold the country’s high tourism reputation.