As the holy month of Ramadhan comes to an end, Mombasa has gained quite a few new tourists through street iftars.
Iftar is the evening meal eaten by Muslims to break their daily fast at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.
It occurs at the time of Maghrib (evening) prayer and often begins with dates and water, followed by a variety of usually communal dishes for family, community and friends.
Street iftar, thus, is this meal being taken on the streets, often briefly closing a section of a street for this meal and is usually meant for any person, including passers-by.
Mombasa has seen a number of street iftars organised by different groups during this Ramadan period, with the latest organised by Hotel Sapphire.
The hotel, which has developed a close relationship with the county government, held its street iftar on Tuesday, with its patrons, including American and UK tourists, seen taking photographs with excitement.
Harley Jade, an American, said he was with friends in Diani, Kwale county, when the matter of street iftars was mentioned.
“I couldn’t quite visualise it and said I would come to Mombasa to specifically experience how it works,” Jade said.
He thus booked himself a room at Hotel Sapphire, which incidentally had organised its own street iftar.
“I have never seen such anywhere else. It looks interesting how people can come together to have a meal. The most fascinating part is that anyone can join in at the meal,” Jade said.
Mombasa County Tourism Executive Mohamed Osman said the street iftar has now been added to the Mombasa experience package.
“You cannot find this anywhere else. It is a unique experience where one can get the essence of Swahili and Arab culture,” the executive said.
He said such are the experiences that make people, tired of the traditional sand and beach, want to visit Mombasa for new experiences.
Other street iftars have been held at Mapembeni along Moi Avenue, organised by SwahiliPot Foundation.
He said the county is now working to sell Mombasa as an experience destination as opposed to the traditional beach, Fort Jesus and Pembe za Ndovu destination.
“We are looking for that unique experience which you will never find in any other place. We are now banking in these unique experiences to attract more tourists, Mombasa is becoming a niche,” he said.
Hotel Sapphire general manager John Yegon said they organised the street iftar to thank their clientele and the community around the hotel for their support.
“Ramadhan is about community and gratitude. It’s about brotherhood and sisterhood. We thought that we would share iftar with the neighbourhood so we can say thank you,” Yegon said.
He noted that the hospitality industry banks on the goodwill of the community to thrive.
“And true to the culture of Mombasa and street food, we figured it would be very nice just to create an experience just outside our hotel,” Yegon said.
He said the success of the hotel is mainly due to the social capital that it has created over the years.
He said it is the social capital that has enabled it to grow from a small hotel to the biggest bad best hotel in Mombasa Island.
From a conference capacity of 250, Hotel Sapphire has expanded to a 1,700-capacity conference facility.
“We opened with 32 rooms, now we have almost 110 rooms, and all this within three years. We are busy throughout the whole year because of the social capital that we have, including the community surrounding us, the county, and the relationships that we have cultivated,” Yegon said.
As the holy month of Ramadan concludes, Mombasa has attracted several new tourists through street iftars. Iftar is the evening meal eaten by Muslims to break their daily fast at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.
It occurs at the time of Maghrib (evening) prayer and often begins with dates and water, followed by a variety of communal dishes for family, community, and friends. Street iftar is this meal taken on the streets, often briefly closing a section of a road for the meal, and is usually intended for any person, including passers-by.
Mombasa has seen several street iftars organised by different groups during this Ramadan period, with the latest hosted by Hotel Sapphire. The hotel, which has developed a close relationship with the county government, held its street iftar on Tuesday, with its patrons, including American and UK tourists, seen taking photographs with excitement.
Harley Jade, an American, said he was with friends in Diani, Kwale county, when the matter of street iftars was mentioned. “I couldn’t quite visualise it and said I will come to Mombasa to specifically experience how it works,” Jade said. He booked a room at Hotel Sapphire, which incidentally had organised its own street iftar.
“I have never seen such anywhere else. It looks interesting how people can come together to have a meal. The most fascinating part is that anyone can join in at the meal,” Jade said.
Mombasa county tourism executive Mohamed Osman said the street iftar has now been added to the Mombasa experience package. “You cannot find this anywhere else. It is a unique experience where one can get the essence of Swahili and Arab culture,” the executive said. He said such experiences make people, tired of the traditional sand and beach, want to visit Mombasa for new experiences.
Other street iftars have been held at Mapembeni along Moi Avenue, organised by SwahiliPot Foundation. He said the county is now working to sell Mombasa as an experience destination as opposed to the traditional beach, Fort Jesus, and Pembe za Ndovu destination.
“We are looking for that unique experience which you will never find in any other place. We are now banking on these unique experiences to attract more tourists; Mombasa is becoming a niche,” he said.
Hotel Sapphire general manager John Yegon said they organised the street iftar to thank their clientele and the community around the hotel for their support. “Ramadan is about community and gratitude. It’s about brotherhood and sisterhood. We thought that we would share iftar with the neighbourhood so we can say thank you,” Yegon said.
He noted that the hospitality industry banks on the goodwill of the community to thrive. “And true to the culture of Mombasa and street food, we figured it would be a very nice gesture to create an experience just outside our hotel,” Yegon said. He said the success of the hotel is mainly due to the social capital it has created over the years.
He said social capital has enabled it to grow from a small hotel to the biggest and best hotel on Mombasa island. From a conference capacity of 250, Hotel Sapphire has expanded to a 1,700-capacity conference facility.
“We opened with 32 rooms, now we have almost 110 rooms, and all this within three years. We are busy throughout the whole year because of the social capital that we have, including the community surrounding us, the county, and the relationships we have cultivated,” Yegon said.
