Senator urges Coast women to wear traditional dress to woo tourists

Mijikenda women entertain Deputy President William Ruto during a rally at Alaskan Grounds in Malindi town, Kilifi County on August 16, 2014. Nominated Senator Emma Mbura said the women’s ceremonial attire was a major attraction for tourists visiting the Coast region in the past. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • According to Ms Mbura tourists used to flock to the region, drawn by tales and memories of beautiful Mijikenda women dancing bare-chested to traditional tunes in beach hotels and on the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean.
  • Her proposal comes at a time when hotels in Mombasa and the larger coast region are grappling with a shortage of international guests. A number of hotels have now partnered with local airlines to boost domestic bookings for the coming Easter holidays.
  • Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort General Manager Raj Jadhav said the hotel group had also partnered with Kenya Airways and Jambojet as part of efforts to uplift domestic bookings in the aftermath of low international tourist arrivals.

A senator has asked women at the Coast to go topless in a bid to lure more tourists to the region, sparking heated debate on social media.

Mombasa Nominated Senator Emma Mbura exhorted Mijikenda women to go back to their traditional and cultural way of dressing, which included walking topless and wearing traditional dress known as mahando and leso to woo tourists to the coastal region where the tourism sector has witnessed a major slump due to insecurity.

According to Ms Mbura tourists used to flock to the region, drawn by tales and memories of beautiful Mijikenda women dancing bare-chested to traditional tunes in beach hotels and on the sandy shores of the Indian Ocean.

“They only dressed the lower part of the body with mahandos, which attracted tourists. As you know, Mijikenda women are naturally beautiful,” she told Nation by phone.
Tourism slumped

She had earlier caused a stir on her social media account when she posted the following comments: “When Mijikendas started wearing clothes, tourism slumped, besides the impact of insecurity. Could this be the reason why we attracted tourism?”

DRESS-DOWN

Her Facebook post attracted considerable dress-down, with many asking the senator to lead by example.

But in her defence, Ms Mbura said she was only posing a question as to whether a return by the Mijikenda to their tradition and culture would attract tourists and help revamp the sector.

She was only trying to salvage a worrying situation and would not campaign to have women go about in the nude, she added.

“Those are my opinions. I was only asking if the Mijikenda went back (to their culture), would we revive the tourism sector? We must find ways of revamping the sector. I once worked in the hotel sector but was fired when there was a decline in tourist numbers. Let us stop pointing accusing fingers at the Jubilee government,” she added.

Whether her prescription is the medicine that the hotel industry at the coast has been missing in a bid to revive after a drastic and worrying slump in its fortunes remains to be seen.

Her proposal comes at a time when hotels in Mombasa and the larger coast region are grappling with a shortage of international guests. A number of hotels have now partnered with local airlines to boost domestic bookings for the coming Easter holidays.

SARIT EXPO

At the same time, the hoteliers are gearing up for the Sarit Expo in Nairobi slated for March 18 to March 22, which they intend to use to market themselves to domestic tourists.

According to Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels (KSLH) General Manager Silas Kiti, the hotel group has teamed up with Kenya Airways and Fly540 to woo more locals from Nairobi and other parts of the country.

The hotel chain had prioritised the domestic market following a huge decline in the number of international holidaymakers, he added.

“Through our partnerships with the local airlines, we are able to offer local tourists competitive holiday packages which comprise accommodation and travel,” he told the Nation yesterday.

On the Sarit expo, Mr Kiti said: “The Sarit fair gives us the opportunity to get bookings from domestic tourists from Nairobi and other parts of the country.”

Sai Rock Hotel General Manager Robert Kiri said the hotel was able to get domestic bookings from Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret due to support from local carrier Fly540.

He explained that last week, the hotel hosted a group of tourists from Kisumu, thanks to the airline.

The holiday packages, he added, include accommodation and meals coupled with return tickets as well transport to and from the airport.

Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort General Manager Raj Jadhav said the hotel group had also partnered with Kenya Airways and Jambojet as part of efforts to uplift domestic bookings in the aftermath of low international tourist arrivals.