is taking its toll on Kenya’s economy, as at least 3,000 jobs are now lost after over 20 hotels operating in the East African Coast were shut down as a result of reduced number of tourists following terrorist attacks by Islamists linked to Al-Qaeda.

“From last month to date, we have seen 50 percent of hotels in Kilifi County close down due to tourist drought,” chairman of Kilifi’s KAHC branch, Philip Chai said.

According to the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC), thirteen of the best hotels in Watamu and Malindi have shut down during the low season, while no fewer than six hotels in Lamu and Kwale asked workers to go on leave till the end of July when the season normally picks up.

Kilifi County whose economy is based on influx of Italian tourists was also hard hit, with about 2, 500 jobs lost. Handicraft makers, fishermen, taxi drivers and farmers are also bearing the brunt. Kilifi is halfway between Mombasa and Malindi on Kenya’s south coast.

According to stakeholders in Kenya’s tourism industry, the low season normally starts between May and July, but it started early this year and it is uncertain when it will end.

Chai however said he expects hotels to re-open from mid-July to July 26, but that would depend on when the Italian chartered airlines resumes flights. The airline had stopped its flights due to low passenger numbers.

Kenya has seen an upsurge in violent terrorist attacks since 2012, but series of events including a church shooting in the coastal city of Mombasa in March have discouraged foreign tourists from visiting the coastal cities of Kenya. This has seen tourist arrivals in Kenya slump by 15 percent in the first half of 2013 from the percentage recorded in 2012.

Most hotels at the Coast have since then witnessed reduced patronage, with patronage reduced by 60 percent. Fortunes however changed during the Easter season as most of the hotels enjoyed a 90 percent patronage.

The hotels have therefore been forced to cut jobs, with others sending employees on unpaid leave as a way of reducing costs. To break even, hotels need 60 to 70 percent of their beds to be occupied.

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