The recent return of three Italian charter airlines to Moi International Airport, Mombasa, has brought hope for a revival of tourism at the Kenya coast.

Hotels in Kenya’s north coast resort towns of Malindi and Watamu mainly depend on international tourists from Italy, but tourism has dipped considerably since January. In April, dozens of hotels in the two towns closed for the low season, leaving about 5 000 workers jobless.

However, the low numbers of guests seem to be easing following the return of three charter airlines from the Italian source market.

According to Kenya Airports Authority, Neos Air resumed flights between Italy and Mombasa on July 19 while Meridiana Fly reintroduced flights on July 21.

Recently, an Italian leisure airline, Blue Panorama, reintroduced flights between Milan and Mombasa after a six-year absence. The airline had pulled out of the Milan-Mombasa route in 2011 due to security concerns at the Kenya coast.

In its second trip, Blue Panorama brought in 112 tourists to Mombasa while 113 others visited Zanzibar. The airline will operate three flights a week on the Milan-Zanzibar-Mombasa route – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In other news, Polish charter airline, Enter Air, resumed flights between Warsaw and Mombasa in June, while last month, German holiday airline, Condor, increased flights from Munich and Frankfurt to Mombasa from one to three a week. Currently, Condor operates two flights a week between Frankfurt and Mombasa and one flight a week from Munich. 

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast Branch Executive Officer, Sam Ikwaye, applauded the return of Blue Panorama, saying it would uplift tourism in Kilifi County.

“Since March, tourism in Malindi and Watamu had been down due to a low number of international tourists,” he said.“We expect hotels that had closed due to lack of guests to reopen in the wake of the return of Blue Panorama.

“If all goes well on the August 8 polls, we expect tourism to perform well in the coming months as the high season has begun.”

Lofty Tours Director, Monika Solanki, said the return of charter airlines from Europe to Mombasa was an indicator that the overseas markets had confidence in Kenya. She added that tourism recovery campaigns would pay off if the elections were conducted peacefully next week.