The holiday season brought out the no vacancy signs at hotels and resorts along the beaches of Mombasa, Watamu, and Malindi, as scores of locals from upcountry and the region scooped up the last available rooms not taken by visitors from abroad. Private villas and serviced apartments are said to have been sold out, putting smiles back on the faces of hotel, resort, and other accommodation owners.
The countryโs safari lodges also reported excellent bookings, which are good news at yearโs end for the combined Kenyan tourism sector, which has at last recovered from the downward trend, making up for the losses of the past two years and clearly set for further growth in 2010.