Struggling tourism might attain reasonable recovery by early next year.

Former Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) Chairman, Mr Raymond Matiba, said the normalcy that had crept back into the country after post-election violence was a good indicator of better things to come.

"We are optimistic of full recovery by early next year. We are not yet out of the woods and there is need to fix infrastructure and ensure that aggressive marketing for destination Kenya is put into place," he said.

Sai Roc Hotel Marketing Manager, Mrs Mary Musyoki Oyangi, added that what has kept hotels afloat was domestic tourism and conference packages.

"There are very few overseas arrivals which can add up to hotel occupancies," she said.

KTB reported a 61 per cent drop in tourist earnings for the first quarter of the year.

The sector posted Sh8 billion in income compared to Sh21 billion that had been projected as earnings during that period.

Massive charter flights and booking cancellations from the overseas tourist market after post-election violence denied the industry much needed revenue. Meanwhile, Kenyan investors are going ahead with major investments in the hospitality industry despite the slump in tourist arrivals.

Two new modern entertainment clubs have opened shop in Kilifi and Mombasa respectively.

Club Lambada in Mtwapa, Kilifi officially opened to the public last Friday.

Proprietor, Julius Kamau said that apart from serving locals, the entertainment spot will also target tourists from hotels in the North Coast.

Another joint that has been revived and put under new management is the Mombasa Carnivore restaurant, next to Nyali Bridge.

The hotel's General Manager, Ali Simba, said that they are opened for business and have lined up a series of entertainment activities for both locals and foreigners.