“Can we have this conversation another time, because as we speak, two helicopters are landing at our hotel in Mt Kenya, and as you may know, these VIPs can be very sensitive. I have to be hands-on,” Margaret Gitonga, director at Realegde Africa, a luxury travel and tour company, tells the BDLife over the phone.
During December holidays such as Christmas and New Year, the world is full of possibilities for high-net-worth individuals.
From remote secluded islands and most luxurious resorts to exclusive mountain retreats to cruise ship destinations, these global elite escape the ordinary in style.
This holiday, as the rest of ordinary Kenyans scrambled for hotels at the Coast or for public transport to the villages or got stuck in traffic jams as they travelled to their upcountry homes, the wealthy were skiing in Après-ski spots in Europe or doing Gondola rides on the Canal Grande in Venice.
Some are pondering checkouts in hotels in Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Nicanor Sabula, CEO of the Kenya Association of Travel, told the BDLife last week that in the past two months, tour agents have seen a surge in holiday bookings to Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
“We’re seeing a lot of people looking for what we call fun holidays—concerts, hangouts, and leisure activities,” he said.
Some of these holidays cost upwards of Sh3 million per family.
In Africa, Kenya ranks fourth for high net-worth individuals behind South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria, with the country having 7,200 of them, according to the Africa Wealth Report 2024 compiled by Knight Frank Kenya.
Besides travelling abroad, the wealthy Kenyans hired yachts to sail on the Indian Ocean, an activity that was a preserve of international millionaires or foreign tourists who saved up to come and enjoy Africa’s bliss. But tour agents say more Kenyans are now splurging on fine travel, sports fishing, jet skiing, cruise ships, and kite surfing.
Hotels bargain
However, one thing that the wealthy do is plan for the December holidays way in advance, some even at the beginning of the year. This enables them to get the hotels and airlines of choice at a bargain.
Antony Thairu, who worked for different airlines for 18 years as a sales agent, and for the last six years at Qatar Airways where his portfolio targeted high net-worth clients, bears witness.
“Despite being wealthy, these elites are the best planners because they do their bookings early. For the December holidays, they will pick a destination and start booking very early in the year. What that means is that they get better rates and more days unlike most of us who will wait until the last minute, probably in October when the rates are much higher and that’s because we don’t have much disposable income. The closer it is to the time of a particular season, the higher the rates will be because of demand,” Mr Thairu explains.
“Rich people know that, so they take advantage because of the availability of disposable income which ensures they get better deals.” Before quitting airlines in 2022 to venture into business, Mr Thairu noticed a surge of rich Kenyans visiting Bali in Indonesia, Dubai, Egypt, and Cape Town in South Africa.
“They would pick different destinations every year, but Dubai and Bali were most popular. I don’t think the trend has changed much. The air tickets are quite pricey because it’s a far destination, but these guys would go with their families. Because these rich people can't travel in economy class, they would pay for business class ticket which would range between $7,000 [Sh908,000] and $10,000 [Sh1.3 million] depending on the time of booking. The trick was to book in advance. So, a family would travel and spend up to 10 days,” he says.
According to Mr Thairu, relatively affordable accommodation in Bali compared to Kenya also fuelled the surge in the number of wealthy Kenyans visiting.
“Most would ask us to give them two or three choices of hotels in different places and they would book all of them which then means they can tour the island extensively. You see, the good thing about some of these high-end destinations is that accommodation is cheaper than what we offer in Kenya, and this is because these destinations have the numbers of inbound visitors. The hotels are many so they can afford to drop their rates. So, for the rich Kenyans, it makes sense to sacrifice for expensive tickets knowing that accommodation will balance the scale,” says Mr Thairu.
“Right now, a good luxurious hotel on the Kenyan Coast will have you pay a minimum of Sh35,000 per night and then you will be told the maximum number of nights is five because of the high demand [peak season]. With a similar amount you would do 10 nights in Bali and probably spend nights in different hotels, if you wish. It's value for money. If you can save much on accommodation then you can tour extensively,” Mr Thairu explains.
Maldives and Santorini are also very popular with these Kenyan elites, points out Ms Gitonga who is also the proprietor of the Silva Montana Hotel nestled at the Chogoria gate of Mt Kenya.
“Internationally, destinations like the Maldives, Seychelles, and Santorini appeal to those desiring idyllic beach escapes, while Dubai and the Swiss Alps offer a mix of adventure and indulgence. For African safaris, Botswana and Tanzania’s Serengeti remain top-tier choices for affluent travellers,” says Ms Gitonga who is also the Secretary of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (Kata).
Eco-lodges
Ms Gitonga adds the super-wealthy prefer spending holidays abroad to avoid overcrowded destinations that offer zero privacy.
“This is where facilities which have only 17 exquisitely styled VVIP and executive suites like ours come in. A lot of these high-end clients are more than willing to pay top dollar for exclusivity and privacy,” she says.
“For instance, our packages start at $10,000 [Sh1.3 million] per guest for a three-day retreat, scaling up to $50,000 [Sh6.5 million] and more depending on the level of customisation. Packages that include private helicopter transfers, exclusive safaris, and extended wellness treatments are priced higher due to the bespoke nature of these offerings,” she adds.
Moses Ochieng, the managing partner at Vista Voyage Safari Consulting Agency concurs with Ms Gitonga, that exclusivity and privacy are top priorities for the super-wealthy.
“Eco-lodges are increasingly becoming a hit with high-end clients. And this is because eco-lodges offer limited room capacity due to the conservation aspect, which means privacy and exclusivity,” he says.
For Mr Ochieng’, whose travel agency majorly focuses on inbound bespoke safaris, holidays always attract a significant number of very wealthy individuals to Maasai Mara due to less congestion and overcrowding as the middle-class who have saved up focus on common destinations like the Kenyan coast and Dubai.
“During peak seasons like Christmas, most favourite destinations such as Dubai, Turkey, Italy, Paris, Diani, and Kilifi are also getting flooded so now we are looking into more exclusive destinations like Maasai Mara, Samburu, and Tsavo that are of less focus at the moment. And this is what these very rich Kenyans want. A destination like Tsavo has several exclusive camps and lodges with some offering coastal vibes,” he says.
Mr Ochieng' adds that for high net worth individuals, sometimes it is not about booking hotels with known brand names, but those that are intimate and tranquil. “They prefer quiet luxury with personalised services,” he says.
Cape Town is also a favourite destination for this type of clientele, Mr Ochieng' points out.
“We’re seeing especially the CEOs travelling to Cape Town to relax and play golf. For this January 2025 package, for instance, which is a four-night trip, we are charging $7,500 (Sh972,000) per person inclusive of flights,” he says.
Cruise ships
There is also a strong appetite for adventure. Enters the cruise ship craze. “We’re seeing a growing trend where they [wealthy] are not just chartering yachts and private jets anymore but are now into luxury cruises that can take them to the most remote corners of the globe,” says Ruhan Shah, the marketing manager at Holiday Bazaar, a Kenyan travel agency focusing on cruise ship trip bookings on the Royal Caribbean cruise line.
Aerial landscape drone photo of Royal Caribbean Line Explorer of The Seas cruise ship docked in Argostoli Greece.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
A majority of (elite) Kenyans have shown a liking for cruise destinations such as Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, and France.
For cruise packages, Mr Shah says it is dependent on one’s needs and requirements, and time of the year.
“It could be three nights to one week to even 180 days or more. It also depends on the type of cruise ship one wants but the starting cost would be a minimum of $10,000 [Sh1.3million] per person and could go up to $100,000 [Sh13 million] or even more depending on the destination and level of boutique travel customisation,” he says.
Mr Shah also observes that many of these Kenyans are also open to trying Asia cruises, which was not the case before.
“For 2025, we are seeing a lot of Kenyans signing up for Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and China sailings. It's becoming a huge hit for the Kenyans and it’s because not so many have tried these cruise destinations,” he says.
"But we are beginning to see many of them being open to new unique adventures. Alaska cruises have become a big hit amongst Kenyans because they feature glaciers, volcanoes, polar bears, and orcas, sceneries you will not find in Kenya and Africa. Cruising is nice because they get to experience about five countries in one trip. You dock in one city, tour it for a few days, and then embark again on the cruise ship to the next city. You get to enjoy the cities, scenery, and ships as well which have been purposely designed to offer luxury experience and comfort. It is quite an experience different from the flights and hotels, this is what the Kenyan elite are paying top dollar for.”
For cruise packages, Mr Shah says it is dependent on one’s needs and requirements, and time of the year.
“It could be three nights to one week to even 180 days or more. It also depends on the type of cruise ship one wants but the starting cost would be a minimum of $10,000 [Sh1.3million] per person and could go up to $100,000 [Sh13 million] or even more depending on the destination and level of boutique travel customisation,” he says.
The type and state of the ship also play a part in pricing.
“A new ship would always be more expensive than an old one sailing on the same route and most of the time the new ship will sell out first,” adds Mr Shah, “During summer the prices go higher too.”
The costs are pricey for Caribbean destinations.
“That’s because in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Honduras that’s where the top end of cruise ships in the world are, the best of the best sail to because of the exclusive private islands found there. You may have heard of Icon of the Seas, the new world’s largest cruise ship.Utopia of the Seas is another. All these sails in the Caribbean and we have wealthy Kenyans paying to be on them,” he says.
