Ten years ago, the coastal region benefited greatly from cruise ships docking at Mombasa Port.
The ship will stay in Kenya for more than 24 hours and tourists will disembark the ship and sample Kenya's tourism gems across the country.
The majority of wealthy tourists are retirees enjoying the sunset, disembarking from cruise ships and visiting national parks such as Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo, and tourist destinations such as Diani, Watamu and Wasini. did.
But things changed when cruise ships started docking and staying for less than 12 hours due to strict entry requirements.
The most recent scenario was on February 3, 2024, when Kenya received 2,500 tourists and 1,000 crew members who arrived at Mombasa port on the luxury liner MSC Poesia.
However, only a handful of tourists disembarked from the Italian ship to visit scenic spots in Mombasa and other destinations.
In this photo taken on January 14, 2024, cruise ship MV Norwegian Dawn docks at Mombasa Port with more than 2,000 tourists on board.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit
Confessing that Kenya is not reaping the expected benefits from cruise ship tourism, Minister of State for Tourism and Wildlife Dr Alfred Mutua explained that the ships spend a maximum of 12 hours in the country. did.
Dr Mutua said this was because Kenya was listed as a yellow fever endemic area by the World Health Organization.
If tourists extend their stay, vaccinations will be mandatory in some of the countries they go to next.
This requirement, along with strict visa rules, is hampering Kenya's income from the tourism industry, which was once one of the country's biggest sources of foreign exchange.
After Kenya spent Sh1.3 billion to build a cruise ship terminal at Mombasa port, the country is yet to see a return on the investment, despite attracting wealthy tourists through cruises.
“It is also our responsibility that even when tourists come to Kenya, we need to work with each cruise line to ensure that people are vaccinated against yellow fever before boarding the ship,” the CS said. .
Ministry of Tourism Secretary Dr Afred Mutua (centre) and KPA Chairman Benjamin Tayari (left) address the press after welcoming approximately 2,500 tourists aboard the MSC Poesia from Italy at the Mombasa cruise ship terminal. ) and MSC Captain Roberto Leotta (right).
Photo credit: Kevin Odit
Since the cruise season began last November, four ships have arrived carrying a total of 8,480 tourists.
This number was up from 3,123 cruise ship tourists entering the country in 2023.
This year alone, two cruise ships have docked at Mombasa Port carrying more than 5,000 tourists.
CS said this year Kenya is targeting more than Sh2 billion from 12,000 cruise ship tourists.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the country earns about 50 million rupees from short cruise ship calls, and could earn more if there were no obstacles.
“The reality is this is a drop in the ocean,” Dr. Mutua says.
Hoteliers say the increase in the number of cruise ships arriving in Mombasa port offers hope for the tourism industry, but much remains to be done before the numbers translate positively into investors' balance sheets. I declared that it was necessary.
Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast chief executive Dr Sam Ikwei has called on the state to urgently review its yellow fever requirements for Kenya at the WHO.
“This is highly discriminatory as the length of stay will be longer if tourists go to other destinations like South Africa. I sincerely hope this is addressed,” Dr. Ikwei said.
Dr Ikwei called on the Kenya Tourism Board to vigorously promote Kenya's cruise ship sector to attract more cruise ships.
Tourism expert Mohamed Hersi said the majority of cruise travelers are pensioners, who prefer tours where they can arrange accommodation.
“If they stay overnight, the next destination in this case is Durban, and Durban will insist on vaccinating everyone. Most of them are elderly and don't want to take the risk. ” explained the hotelier.
Mr Hersi said it was Kenya's responsibility to ensure that the yellow fever requirement was lifted and the country was declared yellow fever free.
He added that it is ironic that there is no yellow fever in Somalia, even though Kenya is known as a yellow fever endemic area and the last case was reported from a refugee from Somalia in Dadaab camp. Ta.
Additionally, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nasir has called on the state to abolish visa fees for cruise ship tourists.
Nasir said the challenge is that tourists have to pay visa fees every time they disembark from a cruise ship.
“This is a big challenge. They have a single entry permit, but it doesn't make sense. So when someone goes on an excursion, they pay money, and when they go back to change clothes to go on a dhow trip, they have to go on a dhow trip Imagine having to pay money,” Nasir said.
Nasir said the cruise ship business was profitable 10 years ago. However, he said Kenya could earn even more revenue by eliminating double payments for visas.
“The whole idea is to get people to spend more money domestically,” he added.
Some hotels in Mombasa CBD, including Sentrim, have revamped their facilities to attract tourists from cruise ships.
