Why cruise ship tourism hype is a drop in the ocean
Tourists disembark from the Cruise Ship MV Norwegian Dawn at the Port of Mombasa in this photo taken on 14th January 2024.
What you need to know:
- Due to strict entry requirements in Kenya, cruise ships can only stay for less than 12 hours.
- The most recent scenario was on February 3, 2024, when Kenya received 2,500 tourists and 1,000 crew members who arrived at the port of Mombasa aboard a luxurious cruise vessel, MSC Poesia.
- Hoteliers affirmed that though the increased numbers of cruise ships docking in Mombasa give hope to the tourism industry, much still needs to be done for the numbers to reflect positively on investors' balance sheets.
A decade ago, the Coast region used to benefit immensely from cruise ships docking at the port of Mombasa.
The ships would stay in the country for more than 24 hours with tourists disembarking from the vessels to sample Kenya’s tourism jewels across the nation.
The high-end tourists, the majority of whom were retirees enjoying their sunset years, would disembark from the cruise ships to visit National Parks including Maasai Mara, Amboseli, and Tsavo, and excursions in Diani, Watamu and Wasini, among other tourist destinations.
However, things took a turn when the cruise ships began docking and staying for less than 12 hours due to strict entry requirements into the country.
The most recent scenario was on February 3, 2024, when Kenya received 2,500 tourists and 1,000 crew members who arrived at the port of Mombasa aboard a luxurious cruise vessel, MSC Poesia.
However, only a handful of the tourists disembarked from the Italian vessel to sample the scenic sites of Mombasa and other destinations.
Cruise Ship MV Norwegian Dawn docks at the Port of Mombasa with more than 2000 Tourists onboard in this photo taken on 14th January 2024.
While confessing that Kenya is not reaping as much as it should from cruise ship tourism, the Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua explained that the vessel would only stay in the country for a maximum of 12 hours.
Dr Mutua said this was because Kenya is listed as a yellow fever endemic zone by the World Health Organisation.
If the tourists were to extend their stay, some of the countries they head to next would require them to be vaccinated.
The requirement together with others such as strict visa rules has denied Kenya revenues from the tourism industry which was once one of the country’s largest sources of foreign exchange.
Even after Kenya pumped Sh1.3 billion to construct a cruise ship terminal at the port of Mombasa, the country has yet to earn from its investments despite attracting high-end tourists through cruises.
“It is also up to us to ensure that even as tourists come to Kenya, we need to engage the respective cruise ship company so that before people board, they are given yellow fever inoculation,” stated the CS.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Dr Afred Mutua (C) is flanked by KPA Chairman Benjamin Tayari (L) and MSC Captain Roberto Leotta (R) address the press after receiving some 2500 tourists aboard MSC Poesia at the Cruise Ship Terminal in Mombasa from Italy.
Since the onset of the cruise season in November last year, four ships have arrived with a total of 8,480 tourists.
These numbers were up from 3,123 cruise ship tourists who came into the country in 2023.
This year alone, two cruise ships have docked at the Mombasa port with more than 5,000 tourists.
The CS said this year, Kenya is targeting more than Sh2 billion from 12,000 cruise ship tourists.
The country earns about Sh50 million from the cruise ships' short stopovers, according to the Ministry of Tourism, an amount that can be increased if there were no bottlenecks.
“The reality is that this is a drop in the ocean,” said Dr Mutua.
Hoteliers affirmed that though the increased numbers of cruise ships docking in Mombasa give hope to the tourism industry, much still needs to be done for the numbers to reflect positively on investors' balance sheets.
Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast Chief Executive Dr Sam Ikwaye urged the state to expedite reviewing the yellow fever requirement for Kenya at the WHO.
“It is very discriminatory because when tourists go to other destinations like South Africa they have a longer stay. It is our plea that the Ministry of Tourism and other relevant departments address the concerns that will allow the tourists to stay longer,” said Dr Ikwaye.
Dr Ikwaye urged the Kenya Tourism Board to vigorously market Kenya’s cruise ship sector to attract more cruise ships.
On his part, tourism expert Mohamed Hersi said the majority of cruise tourists are pensioners, who prefer excursions that can be arranged for overnight stays.
“If they stay overnight, the next destination in this case was Durban, which would insist on vaccinating everybody. Most of them are elderly and they don’t want to take risks,” explained the hotelier.
Mr Hersi said it is upon Kenya to ensure the yellow fever requirement is removed and the country is declared a yellow fever-free zone.
He added that it is ironic for Kenya to be dubbed a yellow fever endemic zone yet the last case was reported in the Dadaab camp from refugees from Somalia and yet Somalia is yellow fever free.
In addition to this, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir urged the state to abolish visa charges for cruise ship tourists.
Mr Nassir said it is a challenge that every time tourists disembark from a cruise ship they have to pay visa charges.
“This is a major challenge. They have a single entry permit which doesn’t make sense. Now imagine someone going for an excursion pays money and when he or she goes back to change to go for a dhow trip they are required to pay again,” said Mr Nassir.
Mr Nassir said a decade ago the cruise ship business was lucrative. However, he said Kenya can earn more if they scrap the double payments on visas.
“The whole idea is to make people spend more in the country,” he added.
Some hotels within the Mombasa CBD including Centrim had revamped their establishment to attract tourists from the cruise ships.
