Tourist vans exempted from ferry queues

Tourist delays at the Likoni Channel will be a thing of the past after the Kenya Ferry Services exempted tour vans from queuing.

Last year, scores of tourists from Diani in Kwale County missed their return flights after being delayed for between two and three hours at Likoni due to a transport crisis.

By then, tour vans used to queue in addition to the frequent ferry breakdowns causing delays to tourists who were either travelling to the South or the North Coast.

On Thursday, Kenya Ferry Services acting managing director Bakari Gowa said they resolved last month to exempt tour vans from joining queues following a request from tour operators.

Last December, he said, the KFS management had a meeting with tourism stakeholders to listen to their concerns.

Mr Gowa said that tour operators and hoteliers from the South Coast raised concerns over delays on both the island and Likoni side which had dealt a blow to tourism in the resort town of Diani.

The tour operators, he said, asked the parastatal to exempt their vans from queuing to enable tourists get to Diani without delays.

Exempting the vans from queuing, they added, would make tourists coming from Diani get to Moi International Airport on time and enable them board their out-bound flights.

“When I took over last month, I directed that tour vans be exempted from queuing for the sake of the tourism sector at the South Coast,” the MD said.

“I am glad that tourists are getting to Diani, Moi airport and the North Coast without delay,” he added.

Speaking to the Nation yesterday, Mr Gowa said despite financial constraints and old ferries, he has helped improve services at the channel.

He attributed the improvement to change of hours of operation, team work and ticketing at toll booths and no more queuing for tour vans.

Mr Gowa said when he took over on acting capacity following the sacking of former managing director Musa Hassan Musa, he directed that four ferries start to operate at the channel from 5am instead of 6.30am.

Yesterday, tourism players supported the move by the KFS to exempt tour vans from queuing, saying they have addressed the issue of delays.

Kenya Association of Tour Operators Coast branch chairperson Monika Solanki said tourists are now able to get to Diani for holidays without delay.

Incidents of tourists missing their out-bound flights, she added, are now a thing of the past following the exemption of vans from queues.

In the evening peak period, he said, four ferries nowadays begin to operate at 3.30pm rather than at 4pm previously.

During off-peak hours, he added, three ferries are in service at the channel up from two.

In order to address traffic congestion on the Mombasa island and the Likoni sides, the parastatal has added more attendants to issue tickets to motorists for them to board the ferries in time.