Paren Hirani, Managing Director, Sentrim Hotels & Lodges.
Every year between June and October, Kenya enters what the hospitality industry fondly refers to as the "harvesting season".
It is a period when hotels, lodges, tour operators and tourism businesses experience their highest demand, driven largely by one of the world's greatest natural spectacles — the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Maasai Mara.
Anyone travelling along the busy Nairobi–Mai Mahiu–Narok highway during these months witnesses an extraordinary sight: endless convoys of safari vans and four-wheel-drive vehicles snaking towards the Maasai Mara, carrying thousands of visitors eager to witness millions of wildebeest crossing the Mara River.
The above spectacle reinforces Kenya's status as one of the world's premier safari destinations, and this reminds us why tourism contributes roughly 9.3 per cent to Kenya's GDP, injecting about $12.7 billion (Sh 1.6 trillion) into the national economy while supporting approximately 1.8 million jobs.
Nevertheless, despite the above good news, for decades, Kenya's tourism calendar has been divided into two distinct seasons: the peak season, when demand exceeds supply, and the low season, when visitor numbers decline sharply, revenues shrink, and businesses are forced to scale back operations.
Of course, the high occupancy is the most beloved period because it allows hotels to recoup their investments, sustain employment, maintain facilities and build financial resilience for the quieter months ahead.
Then the pain-in-the-neck period comes: the low season, which is the main focus of my article. It raises a fundamental question: why should the industry struggle through prolonged low seasons when our country possesses extraordinary attractions that can be explored throughout the year?