NAIROBI - When the Safari Collection, which owns the Giraffe Manor, a popular hotel in Nairobi known for its roaming giraffes, posted a photo on its Instagram account in June with a caption saying that the hotel would be"welcoming those who can still travel within Nairobi" and Kenyans could pay a reduced rate to stay at the hotel, it received backlash from the very people it hoped to entice.
"It's hypocritical that it took a pandemic for them to realise that they have to cater to the Kenyan market as well, not just the international market." The company would not reveal its local rates, but for international visitors, rooms range from $875 a night per person to $3,000 for a suite sleeping up to four per night, depending on the season and type of room.
The tourism industry funds wildlife conservation across the continent, and the lack of international tourists has led experts to fear that threatened animals would be poached at higher rates, further endangering them. The same report showed that for white South Africans, who tend to go on more safari vacations, average earnings were 24,646 rand per month - more than three times what Black South Africans make.
Andrew Mahiga, a project manager for a development project in Dar es Salaam, said that when he returned to Tanzania a decade ago, after living in the United States and Britain, he was committed to travelling the country and becoming reacquainted with his home. Although many safari and lodging companies have Black African guides and staff members, the African Travel and Tourism Association estimates that 15 per cent of its 600-plus members are Black owners, something that locals say plays a part in the feeling that they are not welcome.