francorosso tour kenya

• News Tracker
• Feel Good Stories

How Italian Billionaire Built Empire of Luxurious Hotels in Kenya

• by Maureen Njeri on Thursday, 30 March 2023 - 1:05 pm

The late Franco Rosso was recognised as the pioneer of tourism in Kenya following his extensive chain of luxurious resorts along the Kenyan coast.

The billionaire originally from Italy, died aged 94 on Monday, March 27 in Lugano, Switzerland.

He came to East Africa in 1967 on a family trip alongside his wife and children before falling in love with Kenya and his journey in the tourism sector began.

Some of his renowned resorts include; the Coconut Beach resorts and the Diamonds Dream of Africa, unique beach destinations preferred by the wealthy.

Rosso opened his first hotel Tropical Village on Casuarina beach, followed by Diamonds Dream of Africa and the adjacent Coconut and Malindi beach hotel.  He later opened the fourth property, Sandies Malindi Dream Garden in 2018.

In 2021 and 2022, the Diamond Dream of Africa was awarded the World Travel Awards in 2021 and 2022. It was also feted as Africa's Leading Beach Hotel in 2012.

The billionaire began as a travel agent after he was attracted to the warm weather on Kenyan beaches compared to the winter months in Europe.

Rosso is the founder of Planhotel Hospitality Group and Franco Rosso International, one of the leading tour operators in Italy.

In 2019, Rosso in conjunction with a consortium of investors from New York n the US, and South Africa sought to build a multi-billion skyscraper 'Palm Exotica' in Watamu Kilifi County.

The plans were however halted by the former Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala who claimed that the 61-storey building should be built in Nairobi or Mombasa, not Watamu.

Interestingly, the building was expected to be home to a 270-bed hotel, a shopping mall, and a nightclub. It was also further expected to have 180 serviced apartments, office suites, a conference center, and restaurants.

Palm Exotica was estimated to cost Ksh28 billion to become the tallest hotel in Africa. However, on several occasions, Rosso distanced himself from the construction of the ambitious plan.

The business mogul is survived by three children. 

5 Missing After Floods Rock Mombasa Road

Sakaja Asks Families to Vacate & Lists Most Affected Estates

Several Injured in Tragic Road Accident

Kenyan Passport Ranked Among World's Cheapest Despite Fee Rise

Govt Introduces New Model Within CBC

Boat Ferrying Church Members Capsizes in Lake Baringo

NTSA to Introduce New Licensing System & 4 Other Regulations

Governor Waives Parking Penalties for All Motorists

Ruto Reveals How Rachel & Charlene Defied Him Because of Gen Ogolla

Alexander Munyao Defeats 3-Time Champion to Win London Marathon

Peres Jepchirchir Breaks World Record in London Marathon

CS Duale Reveals New Details About Ogolla’s Contentious Visit to Bomas

Farewell Franco Rosso, tourism pioneer with Kenya in his heart

He was the first to bet on the coastal destination.

27-03-2023 by Freddie del Curatolo

Not only an Italian tourism pioneer, but the first entrepreneur in the industry to bet on Kenya not only as a safari destination. Franco Rosso, for many (but not for us) a man, a brand, has left us at 94. To be written all attached: Francorosso, like his tour operator, one of the most famous ever. Here in Malindi, as in Diani, where he and his wife Amalia, who preceded him by a few years, Franco had left their hearts.

"I still continue to travel the world," he had confided to me in his last chat, before the pandemic, "I have Patagonia in mind, for next year. Franco, besides being an enlightened entrepreneur and a courageous man, was basically a curious person. Ever since he was a boy, he told me for the book "Portraits of Italians in Kenya," he listened open-mouthed to his father, who had been a construction foreman on the African continent, tell stories of animals, forests and deserts and fantasized about one day seeing those places. In anticipation of the Africa he dreamed of, he began to become a travel agent.

"I had to wait until 1967 to make my first trip here," Rosso recalled, "I left with my wife Amalia for a month-long vacation. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. After a few safaris in tented camps, I moved from Nairobi to the coast, which I knew was frequented almost exclusively by European residents enjoying the sun and the Indian Ocean." It is there that the tour operator decides to invest in the Kenya destination. He opened the first safari agency in Nairobi in 1969, "Intertour," on Mama Ngina Street. Four years later, he organizes the first charter flight from Italy to Nairobi.

"Everyone considered Kenya only for safaris, but I was convinced that the coast had great potential: the fabulous climate, the virgin nature, the friendly people, the minimal time difference that made it preferable to Caribbean destinations. Charter flights would have brought Europe even closer to the beautiful beaches and warm seas, especially in the winter months. All Kenya lacked was infrastructure-and that was no small thing." So Franco bets on the white beaches of Diani, where there is Leopard Beach, built by his friend and then president of Torino Calcio Orfeo Pianelli. Then he bets on Malindi, where he builds the Tropical Village and in the last decades acquires two more hotels, the Dream of Africa and the Coconut, which unfortunately will experience troubled seasons and will remain his worry. Finally in 2018, not content, he opens a fourth property, the Malindi Dream Garden. Dream, like the dreams that never left him, despite the fact that the period of enforced seclusion and advancing age limited his travels and the possibility of being able to stay longer in his Malindi. Good and big dreams, Franco. We will miss you. To his children Sara, Paolo and Alessandro, the deepest condolences of malindikenya.net

Thursday, March 30, memorial service for Franco Rosso in Malindi

Last farewell to the italian entrepreneur at the dream garden.

by redazione

A memorial service for Turin entrepreneur and Kenya tourism pioneer Franco Rosso will be held...

READ ALL THE ARTICLE

Malindi's farewell to Franco Rosso

Memories, emotion and flowers in "his" indian ocean.

by Leni Frau

A touching but also meaningful remembrance of Italian entrepreneur Franco Rosso was staged yesterday...

READ AND SEE THE PICTURES

by Freddie del Curatolo

Safari Njema, Franco Rosso

Friend's roberto macri remembrance.

by Roberto Macrì

With great sadness Franco embarked on his last safari. A "request of his that I could not...

Franco Rosso: "I'm not part of the Watamu skyscraper"

Italian entrepreneur says not involved in palm exotjca.

In these days, the operational authority of the Kenyan Ministry of the Environment, the NEMA, should ...

Italians help malindi inland village hit by drought

With knights of malta food and water to 1600 kenians.

READ ALL THE REVIEW

Gala dinner with live music and beach party ad Dream of Africa, Malindi

Friday 24th special open evening with "solitaire band" and dj dulla.

Gala dinner, live music and beach party this Friday at the Diamonds Dream of Africa in Casuarina, Malindi for a very special evening.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

Malindi hospitality, between awards and renovations

The examples to follow of those who do not fossilise and relaunch.

The cliché of 'Malindi is dead', whose only meaning can be the ironic parody of Nomadi's 'God is dead', proposed...

3 italian resorts make Malindi shine

All our awards at the world travel awards 2022.

Three splendid Italian hospitality gems brought Malindi back into the limelight and won as many...

READ THE ARTICLE

Two italian resorts make Malindi shine

All our prizes at the world travel awards 2022.

Two splendid Italian hospitality gems brought Malindi back into the limelight and won just as many awards at the twenty...

• versione italiana
• Titolare del sito: Jamproject srl. Como - Italy P.IVA 03005550136
• e-mail: [email protected]

Created by the will of Franco and Amalia Rosso with the aim of making known, appreciating and loving wonderful Kenya,

the Travel Agency FRANCOROSSO SA in Lugano,  has been operating in the travel and holiday market for over 30 years.

A team of professional

that deal with leisure and incentive travel, meetings, conventions and events all over the world for multinational companies operating in every market branch.

Innovation, speed, creativity, exceptional locations, advanced technologies: these are the advantages of FRANCOROSSO SA, which combines business and pleasure with professionalism, offering the best solutions with immediate response and great attention to budget requirements.

• BT FACTCHECK
• PERSON OF INTEREST
• WORD OF THE DAY
• CRYPTOCURRENCY
• REAL ESTATE
• SMART MONEY
• FINANCIAL MAKEOVER
• BRAND VOICE
• ENTERPRISE 101
• IN HER WORDS
• INSPIRATION
• POWER WOMAN

Malindi Tourism Pioneer And Planhotel Hospitality Group Founder Franco Rosso Dies At 94

Malindi tourism pioneer and founder of Franco Rosso International  – one of Italy’s leading tour operators – Franco Rosso died on Monday, March 27, 2023, aged 94 in Lugano, Switzerland.

He launched Kenya on the Italian market 50 years ago with the first charter flight from Italy to Nairobi. He first came to Kenya in 1967, accompanied by his late wife, Amalia for a month-long vacation in East Africa and decided to invest in Malindi.  He opened his first hotel Tropical Village on Casuarina beach, followed by Diamonds Dream of Africa and the adjacent Coconut and Malindi beach hotel.  He opened the fourth property, Sandies Malindi Dream Garden in 2018

Today, Diamond Dream of Africa is Africa’s leading all-inclusive resort being awarded in the World Travel Awards in 2021 and 2022 and Africa’s Leading Beach Hotel in 2012.

He leaves three children Sara, Paolo and Alessandro. The funeral ceremony will be held at the Tempio Crematorio di Lugano, Via Trevano at 2:00 pm on Thursday, March 30 followed by the wake at The View Lugano, Via Guidino 29 at 3:00 pm.

In Kenya, a memorial service will be held at 3:00 on Thursday, March 30 at Sandies Tropical Village, Casuarina Road, Malindi.

Read:  3 New Naivas Outlets Set for Nairobi, Malindi

>>>  7 Luxury Hotels Owned by the Kenyatta Family

• Franco Rosso
• Planhotel Hospitality Group

Eldoret City Marathon Winners Pocket Millions

Sportpesa introduces ‘goal rush’ to win sh10 million daily, kirinyaga stars win inaugural tujiamini cheza dimba award, how to manage your cbd gummies shopping budget like a pro, sportpesa mega jackpot reaches unprecedented sh360 million, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Business Today is one of Kenya’s leading business news organization, reputed for its authority, accuracy and professionalism.

For news tips, press releases, advertising and general inquiries, contact [email protected]

© 2024 Business Today All Rights Reserved

Kenya Airways Takes Up Key Southern Africa Route

Simba corporation unveils ashok leyland ecomet light duty truck, sidian bank opens its 46th branch in kiambu, towels and list of items to be auctioned in betty kyalo salon, multichoice kenya shines at ‘women in film’ awards, lawyer leading fight against bullying of female journalists, popular categories.

• FEATURED STORY 13913
• BUSINESS 1962
• ECONOMY 791
• POLITICS 771
• SMART MONEY 549

Malindi tourism pioneer and founder Franco Rosso dies aged 94

Malindi tourism pioneer and founder of Franco Rosso International – one of Italy’s leading tour operators – Franco Rosso died on Monday 27 March 2023 aged 94 in Lugano, Switzerland.

He launched Kenya on the Italian market 50 year ago with the first charter flight from Italy to Nairobi.

He first came to Kenya in 1967, accompanied by his late wife, Amalia for a month-long vacation in East Africa and decided to invest in Malindi.

He opened his first hotel Tropical Village on Casuarina beach, followed by Diamonds Dream of Africa and the adjacent Coconut and Malindi beach hotel.

He opened the fourth property, Sandies Malindi Dream Garden in 2018.

Today, Diamond Dream of Africa is Africa’s leading all-inclusive resort being awarded in the World Travel Awards in 2021 and 2022 and Africa’s Leading Beach Hotel in 2012.

He leaves three children Sara, Paolo and Alessandro. The funeral ceremony will be held at the Tempio Crematorio di Lugano, Via Trevano at 14:00 on Thursday, March the 30 th followed by the wake at The View Lugano, Via Guidino 29 at 15:00.

In Kenya, a memorial service will be held at 15:00 on Thursday, 30 March at Sandies Tropical Village, Casuarina Road, Malindi.

From Mkenya Leo News Team, we send our sincere condolences to his family.

Rest in peace Franco Rosso!

Sarah Mueni

Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur.

"Sitaki mapenzi tena" - Amber Ray announces break-up with Kennedy Rapudo

Female lawyer loses her job for calling male colleague “baby boy”, related articles.

Larry Madowo engages in heated exchange with CS Murkomen over JKIA

SHOCK as Kenyan athletes slow down to allow Chinese athlete win Marathon

Didmus Barasa: We want Kenya Kwanza gov’t to rule for the next 50 years

Actress Sandra Dacha reveals the reason WHY she only dates slim men

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Don't have an account?

THE 10 BEST Tsavo Tours & Excursions

Tsavo tours.

• Private Tours
• Sightseeing Tours
• Multi-day Tours
• Scenic Railroads
• Walking Tours
• Ports of Call Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Chinese (Simplified)
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. 3 days safari Tsavo East and Taita hills (Saltlick lodge)

2. 3 days safari Tsavo East and West

3. 7 Days Tsavo East, Taita, Amboseli & SanctuarySafari from Mombasa

4. 3 Days Private Safari Tsavo East and West Tour

5. 14 Days to Experience Authentic Village Life in Taita Hills

6. 9 Days Kenya Safari Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Tsavo

7. 4-DAY Exciting Tsavo/Amboseli National Park/Mt. Kilimanjaro Safari

8. 3-Day Amboseli and Tsavo Expedition

9. 4 Days Safari Amboseli, Tsavo West and Tsavo East

10. Mombasa Tsavo National Park tour - 1 Day Excursion

11. 3 Days safari Amboseli & Tsavo West

12. Kilimanjaro Scenic View in Amboseli and Tsavo

13. 5 Days Kenya Safari in Tsavo East and West, Amboseli, and Taita Hills.

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

Mombasa 2 days Safari- Tsavo & Amboseli

Amboseli Cultural & Wildlife Tour - 4 Day Unforgettable Budget Safari

What travelers are saying.

• 3 days safari Tsavo East and Taita hills (Saltlick lodge)
• 3 days safari Tsavo East and West
• Kilimanjaro Scenic View in Amboseli and Tsavo
• 7 Days Tsavo East, Taita, Amboseli & SanctuarySafari from Mombasa
• 9 Days Kenya Safari Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Tsavo
• Face 2 Face Safaris
• Morningstar Safaris
• Expedition Happy Hour
• Wilderness Beckons
• D.M. Tours & Safaris

• Visit Family Vacation Critic on Facebook!
• Visit Family Vacation Critic on Twitter!
• Visit Family Vacation Critic on Instagram!
• 1 Subscribe to stay up to date!
• Family Resorts and Hotels
• Asia Family Hotels and Resorts

SeaClub Francorosso

Find Your Family Vacation

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

Enter Your Trip Dates

1 Room / 2 Adults

Please select a Check-in Date.

Price not available for the given date range.

TripAdvisor Rating

Families with older children will love the SeaClub Francorosso due to its spacious bungalows and quiet location. Nestled along the beach and featuring over the water bungalows with stunning views of the crystal clear ocean, the hotel is a great choice for families looking for a peaceful island retreat. Most bungalows can accommodate up to three guests by using the in-room sofa bed. The hotel provides access to its Wi-Fi network at an additional fee. Nearby activities include snorkeling, sailing, fishing, relaxing at the beach and more. Guests can dine at the hotel’s onsite restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Our Editor Loves

• Quiet beachfront location
• Comfortable rooms and suites
• Friendly and welcoming staff

Family Interests

• Water Sports

Family Amenities

• Onsite Dining

by JaneCrocker

My husband and I booked a 6 night stay on the Island of Dhiggiri based on recommendations from a friend. This is definitely a couples resort - perhaps ok for older teens. The resort is part of the Nakai group and is mainly marketed to Italians through the SeaClub FrancoRosso holiday company. The main written and spoken language on the island is Italian, the daily buffets are Maldive/Italian fusion and even the time zone is adjusted to provide more sunlight during waking hours... all of that said we had a really wonderful experience.

The seaplane transfer from Male is a short 20 minutes. Unfortunately our return flight was cancelled by the flight operator due to bad weather but the resort organised a speedboat for us (75 mins) and despite my lack of sea legs it was ok.

The resort rooms are very clean, and comfortable. The over water bungalows have two bathrooms (one with shower and one with WC). Each has a private deck from where you can access the water below. The rooms are kept clean and tidy by friendly and discreet team of cleaners who visit twice a day to check bar stocks and towels.

Our all inclusive package included breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks at the bar. The food buffet was varied and there were plenty of meat, fish and vegetarian options. Both Maldivian and Italian food is offered. We ate and drank well throughout our stay. Water was provided at meal times, however we had to pay for bottled water during the day.

The staff were all very welcoming and friendly. We obviously couldn't follow much of the FrancoRosso evening entertainment, but it was fun trying to translate things! I was even presented a birthday cake on my birthday (which wasn't arranged by my husband - so despite not being booked through FrancoRoss we were definitely made to feel welcome. The local staff were very chatty as a number of them did speak English. There are some lovely hardworking people there - a small tip is greatly appreciated at the end of your stay.

The real icing on the cake for us was the snorkelling and scuba. The water is crystal clear (even with a little swell) and there are 100's of species of fish just a step off the shore. The coral is quite bleached - as it is unfortunately now in many places - but there are still some beautiful examples if you take a boat further off the reef. Watching nurse sharks, black tipped reef sharks and rays swimming right past the villas and around the shores of the island each day was fantastic. We were even lucky enough to spot a turtle surfacing in the water whilst snorkelling just metres from our room and swim with 10's of nurse sharks on our first shore dive.

Overall a wonderful experience.

by RiccardoDG

My wife and I spent our HM in this resort (just back since a couple of days...) and, before choosing Dhiggiri, we went through a list of other resorts and reviews, especially of international ones (being the writer not particularly fond of Italian-managed structures..).. But we decided to go for Dhiggiri, let's say as a compromise, since a few things I disliked -not free WI-FI, for example.. However, we've been quite happy of our decision. There are things you could complain with, but others that is useless to complain. Many reviews that we read focused on the food-cycle, in the sense that the same dishes were repeated through the days... So what? Do the reviewers have the idea where Dhiggiri is? Yes, the food is recurring, but the selection is quite large so that you can pick something else... Useless to complain, imho. Rather, WI-FI for pay, bottled water for pay, even the safe, those are things you should complain with, always imho. People who decide to spend some nights there, they know they pay quite a lot, but they decide to book as well... Maybe they are also prompt to pay a bit more to have some benefits. I'd do it, for example....

Lamentation part over. The island is a bouquet in the blue as anybody can verify from the photos; the structure is very very nice, well maintained and quite clean (important: VERY CLEAN from what people left). It is practically cleaned every moment by the maintainer staff. We booked an overwater room which gives the possibility of both enjoying the water from the ow and staying on the beach (beach beds marked as ow could be used on the beach). A cool thing, isn't it?

Reef: the reef is not so good as I expected. That's not in charge of the Tour Operator: we have been told that a sudden increase of water temperature can cause a bleaching of the corals. So it went, unfortunately. Many fishes, that's true, even beachside, including some blacktips and nusse sharks which often approach the beach. Maybe for not good swimmers (as we are), Dhiggiri is not the best island to go to, given the closeness to the Dhiggiri channel with its strong currents that effect also the island.

Room: The OW is very big and enjoying its king size bed is very nice. The room is also cleaned twice a day and offers two bathrooms, one dedicated to the shower. The patio outside is large enough to host two big beds. OW from 1 to 19 are better exposed to the sun.

Staff: Dhiggiri is couple-oriented, being no child-specific activity. And couples go for Dhiggiri because it is quite and calm. Engagers call you for activities but always in shadow. If you want to go, then go, otherwise "let's join dinnertime". Even at evening everything is smooth. And we loved it. So thanks to Pierpaolo, the head, which never avoids smiling; thanks to "Magister" Christian who loves playing guitar and you see it (he can play and sing for 24h); thanks to Jacopo for canoing and sea-related stuff; thanks to "Sting" Ginevra for her energy which springs for East to West starting quite early in the morning. (You have a battery charger plug somewhere, don't you?); thanks to Greta which as biologist explained us a lot of interesting things on the island and its wild-file. Did I forget someone? Yep: Hussein, aka the silent house keeper, which awaits (somewhere) for you to exit the room and then slides to clean it; Suraah, our waiter, kind and smiling (from breakfast to dinner) and a good volleyball player, I'm told; Sasi and Ram who make the bar welcoming.

In conclusion, everything upon mean and a place where to return. Who knows?

More Top-Rated Family Hotels in Nearby Area

Alimatha Aquatic Resort

Plumeria Maldives

Rihiveli The Dream

Fun Island Resort

OZEN by Atmosphere at Maadhoo

Kaafu Inn Guraidhoo

Related Articles

10 Best Waterproof Winter Boots for Kids

10 Best Winter Mittens for Toddlers (That Will Actually Stay On)

The Best Family Pajamas for 2023

5 Best Fitness Trackers for Kids

Your personal family vacation planning starts now.

Get expert advice, handpicked recommendations, and tips for your family all year round!

Get family travel & tips from our experts

Thanks for signing up.