Tourists alighting from a cruise ship in Mombasa. [Photo/businessdailyafrica.co.ke]
Cruise tourism in Mombasa is expected to pick up with more ships set to dock in the coastal city.
In an interview with the Business Daily, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Principal Corporate Communications Officer Haji Masemo said that the long electioneering period saw several voyages to Mombasa canceled.
“Were it not for the long electioneering period, by now five cruise ships would have visited Mombasa. The cancellation slowed down cruise tourism revival efforts,” said Masemo as quoted by the daily.
A cruise ship MS Albatros that was scheduled to visit Mombasa on November 3 was canceled due to political uncertainty in the country.
He, however, said that already two luxury cruise ships have confirmed arrival in Mombasa by January next year since the political temperatures have subsided signaling a significant growth in 2018.
“There are two ships which have confirmed their visit to Mombasa in January. Tourists traveling by sea are now yearning to visit the country for sightseeing and safari,” said Haji.
This comes after MS Silver Spirit on Thursday docked at the Port of Mombasa with more than 800 passengers and crew on board.
The tourists hailed from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands among other foreign nations.
Is there a newsworthy accident, incident or event happening in Mombasa County that you want Hivisasa to cover? Tell us what is happening by joining this group and have it published. http://bit.ly/2BipYa6