Tourism board excited by travel advisories lifting

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has welcomed the move by UK government to lift travel advisories to its citizens to Mombasa and the entire 500km coastal stretch.

Speaking to the media, the Kenya Tourism Board Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa, however, noted that the travel ban is still in force in Malindi and areas further north including Lamu County.

KTB now says South Coast has been open to UK tourists but lifting the travel ban to North Coast will ensure British nationals enjoy the larger coastal area.

Britain’s revision of its travel advisory is significant given that the UK remains Kenya’s top tourist source market.

While terming it as welcome relief, the Kenya Tourism Federation also said the move is a reflection of the gains made to improve the safety of visitors at the Coast.

Speaking to Citizen TV on phone, the Kenya Tourism Federation’s Chief Executive Officer Agatha Juma said the tourism sector can now focus on lobbying foreign charter operators to resume flights to Mombasa.

Number of UK visitors to Kenya dipped last year to 117,201 from 149,699 in 2013 owing largely to the 14-month ban on non-essential travel by UK.

Since the onset of the issuance of travel advisories in May last year, at least 20 hotels at the Coast have closed shop, with hoteliers projecting upto 40 thousand job losses.