Cruise tourism in Kenya seems to be on recovery after another luxury cruise ships were docked at the port of Mombasa. Foreign visitors are expected to flock to the country’s shores this coming summer as some of the world’s leading cruise ships follow migratory birds heading south, away from Europe’s winter.
The noticeable improvement of security in the Indian Ocean waters has been singled out as a major encouragement for the tour operators selling cruise tourism to convince more cruise visitors to Kenya.
Kenya received 3,196 cruise tourists in the country last year. Kenya Port Authority (KPA) has been voted for the second time in a row by the World Travel Awards (WTA) as Africa’s leading port and this has reinforced the confidence of cruises on the facility.
The Kenya government together with the industry players is also working on strategic tourism marketing and demand driven tourism development programmes to maximize on all the tourism niches.
Majority of the tourists docking at the port of Mombasa are from the US, UK, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, France, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, New Zealand, Ukraine, Mexico, Russia, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway,, Italy, Belgium, Portugal among others.
While in Mombasa, cruise tourists are treated to a full day excursions within the city and its environs. The excursions are undertaken in Bombolulu, Haller Park, Amboseli (by air), Shimba Hills, Mwalughanje and other city tours.
