Revised entry charges open opportunities for smaller national parks
Tourists in the Maasai Mara. Kenyans will continue paying Sh500 at premium parks and Sh300 in others while foreign tourists will pay more. Photo/JACKSON BIKO
Kenya is hopeful the new park fees will boost tourism earnings this year and lead to an increase in visits to smaller parks.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) introduced new fees this year for various seasons in premium parks, rates industry players say will lure visitors to parks during the low tourism seasons during which they will pay less than peak periods.
“The move will encourage reorganisation of tours to parks with less expensive options on the offering,” said Fred Kaigua, chief executive of Kenya Association of Tour Operators.
Mr Kaigua said the move could see redistribution of numbers in the parks, with the least frequented ones receiving a slightly higher number.
The premium ones on the other hand could see numbers drop, in the beginning. KWS manages over 50 national parks in the country.
New park fees were gazetted later last year and took effect from January 1.
The move will see foreign visitors, who are affected by the increase, dig deeper into their pockets to enjoy Kenya’s wildlife.
An international tourists now pays $75 (Sh6,000) at Amboseli and Lake Nakuru from $60 (Sh4,800).
Fees for Meru, Tsavo East and West parks now are $60 (Sh4,800) during the high season, from $50.
Kenyans will continue paying Sh500 at premium parks and Sh300 in others.
Since 2005, national parks have been undergoing makeovers as part of a high profile national marketing and infrastructure refurbishment campaign by KWS.
The move has seen various parks across the country get new roads, airstrips, and restock animals in a bid to attract more visitors.
Narok County Council has followed suit in the increase of park fees to the country’s leading destination, Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
International tourists will pay Sh5,600 from Sh5,520 to visit the reserve with camping fees now Sh2,400 per day.
The new fees will only affect the Narok side of the reserve as the Transmara side has not announced any increments.
Mara Conservancy, which runs the Transmara side, still charges foreign guests $60 (Sh4,800), though in its December 2010 newsletter it indicated it expected the fees to go up.
Other reserves in the country, run by local county councils, such as Samburu and Shaba have yet to increase.
However, players in the sector say the higher charges could make the county less competitive compared to neighbouring countries due to higher prices.
“It shrinks our competitiveness,” said Mike Macharia, chief executive of Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC), adding that the move is not “unreasonable” as other players in the sector usually increase their charges as the costs of inputs go up.
“Conservation is not a cheap venture and it needs capital,” he said.
But only five of the leading national parks and Maasai Mara are affected by the price increase, leaving tourists with a choice of over 40 other safari destinations whose rates have not been affected.
Tourists are likely to shift to smaller national parks and those that have other attractions apart from the popular big five animals.
Other than the popular animals, the country’s parks offer marine life, bird life, plants, endangered species like the Grevy’s Zebra and wild dog as well as other less known animals that are part of the natural habitat.
In the new pricing structure, KWS introduced low and high season fees, unlike the previous flat rate, in a bid to encourage travel all year round.
Low season
Normal season rates apply in the months of April to June and November to December while high season rates are charge in the months of January to March, July to October and shall be applicable to all premium and wilderness parks, except Aberdare National Park.
Mr Macharia said the move was sought by tourism sector operators who said they suffer greatly during the lower seasons.
In a move aimed at attracting eco-friendly visitors and increase earnings, KWS is opening up the facilities to private investors to put up eco-lodges, providing accommodation in parks such as Meru and Tsavo conservation area —which has Chyulu, Tsavo East and West National parks.
The construction of these eco-lodges is expected to increase the bed capacity by 422 beds.
Eco-lodges provide an lucrative commercial opportunity for both KWS and the private sector partners.
It is expected that, these developments will leverage on the opportunity to create a diversified tourist product that will be easily integrated into, complement and enrich the already popular Tsavo tourist circuit.
The parks have also cut cost of airlines landing to woo carriers.
Maasai Mara slashed the cost of airlines landing on its airstrips by Sh500 to Sh3,000 for bigger aircraft and by Sh200 for a six- seater aircraft.
Domestic airlines have been diversifying to tourist destinations riding on booming tourism to grow passenger numbers.
Airlines fly to most national parks with Fly 540 earlier last year opening a second operating hub, Wilson Airport, to cater for its safari customers.
The airline last month introduced flights to Meru National Park which in the past few years has seen over 2,000 wild animals being relocated to the park from various areas in the country. The relocation has cost over $135,000 (Sh10.8 million).
Kisumu Impala Sanctuary and Ndere Island were last year earmarked for rebranding at a cost of Sh42 million as part of opening up the Western tourism circuit.
In the circuit, Kakamega forest national reserve, Saiwa Swamp, Ruma and Mt Elgon National Parks have also been rebranded.
