Residents of Mombasa could not hide their joy after another cruise ship with 991 tourists on board docked in the port city.
MS Nautica, which is on a long Indian Ocean Voyage that began in Dubai, arrived in Mombasa from Mahe, Seychelles.
The arrival of the ship, which is headed to South Africa, is an indicator that the tourism sector is slowly picking up following enhanced security in the region.
The cruiser line is registered in Nassau and arrived in Mombasa for the first time in 2008 on its way to the Gulf of Aden following an attack by pirates.
The tourists on board expressed their joy to visit the country with some coming here for their first time.
"We are excited and looking forward to a fruitful 12-hour sojourn here. We feel at home among our brothers and sisters here," said Mr Ornan Pratt, as quoted by the Standard.
Ann Nthengi, a curio dealer operating at the Port of Mombasa, called upon the national and county governments to market the port in order to attract more vessels.
"We hear that there are plans to build a modern cruise handling terminal by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). Our hope is that apart from the infrastructure development, there will be enhanced marketing to help bring in more cruise traffic," she said.