Today, Fairmont announced that it has closed its Norfolk and Mara Safari Club hotels and fired all the employees due to the pandemic. The hotel cites the current impact of the coronavirus on travel and the uncertainty as reasons behind the closure. The termination will be effective on June 5th, 2020, upon which Fairmont will issue termination letters.
“It is regrettable that our Hotels, Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club have since ceased their operations as a spiral effect of the COVID-19 and the recent flooding of Fairmont Mara Safari Club. These unprecedented natural causes have resulted in disruption of our business now and in the foreseeable future,” reads a memo from the Fairmont.
Employees of the hotel with more than five years of service will receive a gratuity. Those with less than five years will receive a month’s pay in lieu of the notice.
SEE ALSO: Kenya’s Travel, Tourism Most Battered by Global Pandemic
Kenya’s tourism sector is the worst hit by the pandemic as passenger flights remain grounded. Experts predict that revenues will drop by at least 60% by the end of 2020, which will trigger massive job cuts.
The industry is set to benefit from KSh 2 billion soft loans in the recently launched economic stimulus package.
