Kenya is eyeing to become the second major destination for
cruise ships in Africa after Egypt following its search for new deals
during the recent cruising conference in Miami, USA.
The
authorities expect the cruise ship business to take off from November
when the construction of the terminal to receive the ships is completed.
In
2017, Kenya failed to attend and showcase its cruise ship product to
Miami — which was hosting the world's largest cruise ship conference —
due to the delays in the construction of the facility at the port of
Mombasa.
The construction of the Sh350 million
world-class cruise ship terminal at the port, which was initially set to
be completed in 2017 but was pushed to 2018 and later to November this
year, is 40 per cent complete.
Kenya’s plan to have a
California-based operator of luxury cruise ships make Mombasa a home
port for its vessels to boost arrival of holidaymakers from the United
States went a notch higher after officials of the Kenya Ports Authority
attended the world's largest cruising conference last week.
The delegation led by the chairman, General (Rtd) Joseph
Kibwana, Managing Director Daniel Manduku, General Manager Operations
Captain William Ruto and Principal Communication Officer Hajji Masemo
was last week in America attending the global cruise ship forum to bag
business ahead of the take-off of Kenya’s cruise ship sub-sector in
November.
During the meeting, the team met various
leaders and showcased its plans besides making contacts with potential
partners and customers during the three-day annual Seatrade Cruise
Global event held from April 8 to 11. The event attracts big names in
the industry.
In 2017, Kenya’s shipping industry could not go to Miami, having nothing to offer with its terminal far from complete.
“How
do we go to Miami in March and we do not have a facility to confirm? We
will not be able to sign contracts with cruise ships if we do not have a
facility to show, and already we have delayed in our promises so even
that trust will fade out in the next discussions,” Tourism and Wildlife
Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said in 2017.
Kenya has
been wooing Princess Cruises, a California-based operator of luxury
cruise ships, to make Mombasa a home port for its vessels in a move that
could boost arrival of holidaymakers from the United States.
A
home port status would imply that for every voyage, the Princess
Cruises vessels will call at the Kenyan coast not only to offload and
pick the majority of their passengers but also to restock supplies and
fuel.
“KPA is constructing a state of the art cruise
terminal at the port of Mombasa which is expected to boost tourism in
the country. Last year Kenya received over 3000 cruise tourists with a
total of five cruise vessels calling the port,” KPA said on its Facebook
page.
According to the CS, from November the Cruise Terminal will be completed in time for the cruise season in the same month.
Last
month, President Uhuru Kenyatta inspected of the ongoing construction
of the modern cruise ship terminal at the port of Mombasa. The cruise
traffic to the county last year fell, with only four vessels docking at
the Mombasa port, even as the government announced a third delay in the
completion of a Sh350-million cruise ship terminal.
According
to the 2018 port performance data for the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA),
the country received 2,333 cruise passengers last year, a marginal drop
from 2,342 the previous year.
The traffic has been on a
decline, from a high of 5,072 passengers on six vessels in 2015, to
2,298 a year later after a series of travel advisories and terrorism
incidents at the cCoast.
"Seatrade Cruise Global unites
11,000 professionals around a singular sensation: feeling at home on
the sea. Ready to increase your ingenuity, uncover new trends and secure
profitable partnerships,” read Seatrade Cruise Global said in its
website after the event.
Themes discussed included
sustainable tourism to address the latest challenges in popular markets,
how cruise lines are collaborating with local communities and
destinations to identify solutions and innovation.
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