The Kenyan coast, thanks mainly to the exploits of Watamu, Kilifi and Lamu, is recording a better influx of tourists than last year. According to statements made by representatives of trade associations, the winter season is having a good 'tail end' after the classic Christmas and New Year binge.

In terms of numbers, two figures jump out at us, according to what we have personally gathered from operators in the coastal tourism sector: the increase in the influx of travellers on charter flights, compared to the same period last year, and the return of holidaymakers 'playing at home', i.e. Kenyans and Africans from neighbouring countries, who have no outlet to the sea.
After the forced pandemic blockade with the obligation not to leave the country, Kenyans in particular had returned to holidaying abroad last year, choosing destinations such as Dubai, South Africa and even neighbouring Zanzibar, as well as European cities.

This year, however, the shilling crisis has somewhat curbed their foreign cravings and brought them back to destinations close to them. Even a place that used to be considered 'touristically in decline' like Malindi has benefited, but above all the upper middle class of Nairobi has definitively consecrated Watamu and Lamu as their favourite destinations, while young people are choosing Kilifi but also continue to frequent the eternal Diani, a destination for sportsmen and artists.

The important thing, and this is what hoteliers and restaurateurs, but also safari organisers and those who rent houses, or provide bed & breakfast services, are hoping for, is that there will be a return to the 'long season' like that of 2021, which was abruptly interrupted at the beginning of March by the arrival of Covid-19 in Africa as well.
This year Easter, which often marks the end of the tourist season, also due to its almost simultaneous timing with the period of the great rains, is, as they say, 'low', so at the end of March the 'mass' tourist activity, almost certainly that of charter flights, could come to an end.

Those who remember the good old days of the 1990s, when Watamu was known to very few, in Kenya as well as abroad, would go into hibernation in April for those working in hospitality on the coast, but with their pockets nice and full, and then dive back into work in mid-July.
Of course, scenarios and attractions have completely changed, but these small improvements in attendance and popularity are encouraging, especially for those who still believe in the destination and those who want to invest.