Holiday homes giving beach hotels a run for their money

Exclusive holiday homes are stealing the show at the Coast, becoming an alternative paradise for tourists as the region records an increasing number of travellers in the Covid-19 period.

Most private beach houses now offer alternative accommodation to wealthy international clients visiting Lamu, Mombasa, Watamu, Malindi and Diani towns.

Tourists visiting with their families have found a haven in the holiday homes, where they can easily observe Covid-19 protocols compared to five-star hotels.

International tourists pay in foreign currencies, and insist on home owners signing non-disclosure agreements not to reveal their identities. The holiday homes are heavily guarded, with CCTVs, security dogs, security personnel and electric fences. But it is the preying eyes of the media they are hiding from.

“They just want their privacy,” said Coast Holiday Homes chief executive Habel Mwakio.

Accommodate entire family

“Some exclusive homes charge in foreign currencies between Sh60,000 to Sh100,000 per night, but it’s cheaper since the homes can accommodate an entire family. The homes are situated in secluded areas in Diani, Watamu, Malindi,” said Mr Mwakio, explaining that families with children also prefer homestays.

“They interact with locals. We usually get such requests; even politicians request such private places, away from the noise, close to the beach and near forests,” he added.

Mr Mwakio, who owns several holiday homes in the region, said most owners use social media to get tourists.

Apartment owners are also cashing in on the trend.

Travelling on a budget

“People who are travelling on a budget, especially domestic tourists, prefer homestays,” said Mr Mwakio.

A double room, half board or full board in a Coast hotel costs an average of Sh15,000, while homestays charge around Sh8,000 for a one-bedroom house with amenities such as a swimming pool and Wi-Fi, he said.

The Kenya Hotelkeepers and Caterers Coast Executive Sam Ikwaye and the Kenya Coast Tourist Association Chairman Victor Shitakha said the new dimension of tourism is offering property owners cash flow after the sector suffered a slump due to the pandemic.

They said holiday homes had employed hundreds of chefs, housekeepers and drivers who lost their jobs in hotels due to the pandemic.

“They contact us and we give them jobs as per the client’s needs. They are paid around Sh2,000 a day,” said Mr Mwakio.

Covid-19 concerns

“Due to the pandemic, many tourists travel with their families to keep their bonds due to health concerns. The packages in a hotel are restricted, tourists who go for the alternative accommodation want privacy, they want to wake up very late and have meals as they want and not according to hotels that have static programmes,” said Dr Ikwaye.

Homestays offer authenticity, where tourists can mingle with local communities in social activities.

“The tourists can go fishing and mingle with locals. They get to do things with local communities. People who want to experience new dimensions of travelling and establish new connections are most likely to go to these kinds of setups,” elaborated the hotelier.

Privacy

Mr Shitakha attributed the love for holiday homes to the privacy they offer.

“Tourists want a little more privacy to take care of their health and this is also a driving factor,” said Mr Shitakha.

Dr Ikwaye said corporate clients are also seeking homestays, but insisted that the trend is not a threat to hotels.

“The industry is going through a transformation, the more you have more variety in a destination, the more you will attract a variety of people. Coast hotels are predominantly a vacational destination but over time, due to need and seasonality, a lot of hotels are investing in conferences,” added the hotelier.

Even though Dr Ikwaye praised homestays for spicing up the industry, he expressed concerns over the lack of regulations. He urged the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) to regulate the homestay sector.

“The government is losing a lot of taxes. The sector attracts very wealthy clients with varying pricing depending on what the client wants,” he said.

Guidelines to regulate sector

Mombasa County is already coming up with guidelines to regulate the sector.

"We have asked all people dealing with such facilities to register their businesses and apply for a single business permit from the county government and register with TRA as a starting point," said Ms Aisha Abdi, the Mombasa County Tourism and Trade chief officer.

Taita Taveta County has already registered homestays.

The increase in charter and direct international flights to Mombasa, is welcome news for both holiday home owners and hotels.

Bed occupancy

Hotels at the Coast are at about 40 per cent bed occupancy, while exclusive homes have recorded up to 80 percent occupancy, from 20 percent in May this year, with a majority of visitors being foreign.

Some of the airlines that have resumed direct flights to Mombasa are Eurowings Discover by Lufthansa, which flies twice weekly from Germany; Romanian Charter; and Bees Airline from Ukraine, which makes weekly trips.

Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways are expected to resume flying directly to Mombasa next month. Dutch Airline KLM announced it will start direct flights to Mombasa in November.

UK red list removal

Industry players have also expressed optimism that the recent removal of Kenya from the UK’s Red List will drive numbers in the coming days.

The Daily Nation caught up with William Romero, a Mexican tourist at the Diani Reef hotel, who was in the country for the first time for his honeymoon.

“The fact that Kenya requires a negative PCR certificate, and all the Covid-19 protocols are observed gives me confidence as a tourist,” he said.

According to Diani Reef Managing Director Bobby Kamani, the easing of travel restrictions by most countries has hugely boosted international tourism in Kenya.

“We are very positive and confident about the coming months’ numbers to improve as we are heading into the last quarter of the year. Hopefully, all hotels in the region will be full in the December festive season,” said Mr Kamani.

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