The Madaraka Express passenger train. [Photo/ jamiiforums.com].
The boost in the tourism sector in Mombasa has been attributed to the launch of the Madaraka Express train in June this year. Hoteliers in the coastal city have said that domestic tourism is above 90 percent compared to last year when it was at 70 percent during the 2016 festive season.Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort General Manager Mohamed Omar said the hotel is fully booked for the festive season, with 80 percent of the guests hailing from Nairobi.Omar credited the rise in domestic tourist numbers to the SGR passenger trains plying the 472-kilometer Mombasa-Nairobi route daily.“The Standard Gauge Railway line has enabled local holidaymakers to travel with ease and head for Mombasa to savour its pristine sandy beaches,” said Omar.The hotelier said the 300-room hotel that has a 2500 capacity convention centre and aqua safari theme park is expected to be packed to capacity during the Christmas and the New Year celebrations, with huge support from the domestic market.He said most local tourists were traveling using the SGR trains due to their cheaper rates and comfortability.He said both local and international tourists were flocking the Coast region for the holiday season, a situation that has raised hopes of the hoteliers this year.“It was a tough tourism year where political wrangles have taken centre stage. We have been waiting for this season so that we harvest more from holidaymakers,” he said.Hotels in Kwale and Kilifi counties are also fully booked during the entire month of December, with some being fully booked until January 2, 2018.Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Mombasa County that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published. http://bit.ly/2BipYa6