Tourism boost as cruise ship docks in Mombasa
Kenya tourism sector got a major boost after a cruise vessel carrying 895 tourists docked at the Port of Mombasa.
The vessel christened MV World Odyssey arrived from Mumbai, India and will stay at the Kenyan coast for six days as the tourists embark on a safari for the period they will be in the country before leaving for Jordan. It arrived at Berth No 1 at around 9:30 am on Thursday and was received by Tourism Principal Secretary John Olotua and Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Executive Director John Chirchir.
The number include 620 passengers and 175 crew, with majority of them being students. During their stay, the students will have an opportunity to interact with Kenyatta University counterparts as part of an exchange programe. Speaking at Mombasa Port, Olotua said the arrival of the ship is an indication of tourism confidence with the coast destination.
Investor confidence
He said the tourism sector was in an upward trajectory both local and international owing to investor confidence. “The visitors are going to create a very huge impact to the economy of Kenya because as they enjoy it they will spend in hotels, buy our goods, artifacts and this is a very good source of foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
The ship will stay at Mombasa Port for six days and apart from learning, the students will visit tourist sites like Fort Jesus, Haller Park and Tsavo National Park, Maasai Mara and other tourism destinations.
