Tourists sipping locally made soft drinks in Mombasa. (Photo/The Big Issue)During this busy month for the tourism sector at the Coast, a majority of domestic tourists going to the coast are booking into apartments, tourism stakeholders in the region say.
Sam Ikwaye, the Coast executive director of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers has attributed this to “affordability and freedom.”
Since the start of December, many of the hotels are operating at over 75 percent bed-occupancy, but apartments are at 100 percent.
Ikwaye said the tourists can eat what they want to eat at any time. "There is no timetable and menus like in many hotels,” said Ikwaye as quoted by the star.
He said the revelers can invite as many people as possible into the apartment without being charged further, unlike hotels where there are a lot of restrictions.
“Apartment is a home away from home,” Ikwaye told the local daily.
However, according to a domestic tourist, the money factor is also a major contributor to their preference as majority of the beach hotels charge between Sh10,000 and Sh15,000 per night in their standard rooms.