Kenya to hold talks with West over travel advisories

Kenya plans to hold talks with the United Kingdom and the United States to review the travel advisories slapped on it by Western countries.

Commerce and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie said on Tuesday that the government will leverage on the current improved national security situation during the talks.

The travel advisories by the United Kingdom, France, Australia and the United States have hurt tourism at the Coast.

Currently, hotels in the region have an international guests occupancy of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent, compared with between 30 per cent and 40 per cent in the same period last year.

Charter flights from Europe to Mombasa are below 10 a week, compared with 20 flights a week in the same period last year.

Mrs Kandie, in an interview, noted that security has significantly improved at the Coast after the government contained terror attacks and violent crime in Mombasa and Lamu counties.

RELATIVE CALM

“It should be noted that the government has contained rising insecurity at the Coast and locals and visitors are enjoying relative calm,” she said.

“We are appealing to the Western countries to review the advisories so that their citizens could come for holiday as Mombasa and other parts of the country are much safer,” she added.

The Cabinet secretary assured both local and international tourists that the Kenyan Coast is safe for holidays.

She noted that the government has intensified security in the resort towns of Mombasa, Diani, Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi and Lamu to protect locals and visitors.

Security, she added, has also been heightened on the beaches, tourist hotspots, at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa and the Likoni channel.

Kenya Tourism Board managing director Muriithi Ndegwa said the marketing agency would capitalize on the current calm at the Coast to woo holidaymakers from both the traditional and emerging tourist source markets.