CS Miano assures of safety as 1249 tourists dock at Coast

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano on Wednesday assured tourists visiting Kenya of their security a day after the United States issued a travel advisory against some parts of the country

The CS who spoke in Mombasa said the government had put in place measures to guarantee the security of the visitors in its year's plan to target at least 3 million tourist arrivals.

"We want to assure our visitors that they can walk freely, that they can feel secure, and that enough measures have been put in place to ensure that they have security," said CS Miano.

On Tuesday, the US pronounced parts of eastern, coastal and northern Kenya as volatile and issued a travel advisory to its citizens.

The travel advisory highlighted crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping as vices that have made Kenya unsafe for its citizens.

The US warned its citizens not to travel to the Somalia border counties of Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Tana River and north of Malindi due to terrorism and kidnapping.

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It also said that West Pokot and Western Turkana County were highlighted as unsafe due to banditry.

Parts of Marsabit and Turkana counties within 48 km of the Ethiopian border were also marked unsafe due to cross-border incursions.

Nairobi's Eastleigh and Kibera were mapped as hotspots of crime and kidnapping in the US advisory to its citizens.

But Miano said the government had put in place plans to guarantee the security of tourists in Coast, which contributes about 50 per cent of the tourism sector.

She said that projections for this year on international arrivals are 3 m, and the numbers are expected to rise to 5 million in the next two years.

She spoke at the Port of Mombasa during the grand port reception of MV Viking Sky, a cruise ship on a global world tour that had called at the port.

''Cruise tourism remains a critical addition to the numbers we are targeting; hence, the need to promote this kind of leisure travel,'' CS Miano said.

Viking Sky docked with 845 passengers and a crew of 469, making a total of 1249 visitors. Among the crew were 20 Kenyans working onboard the vessel in various departments.

''It's another great day for us as we welcome this ship and its crew and passengers, who shall have a 3-day port stay boosting the local economy,'' the CS said.

Before passengers' disembarkation, there was a medical emergency when one of the passengers was wheeled out of the ship on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.

Sources told The Standard that the passenger, a male traveller, fell ill as the ship travelled to Mombasa Port from Seychelles.

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CS Miano added that last February the modern cruise terminal welcomed the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship with President William Ruto gracing the event.

''As a government, we wish to thank Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and private sector players like tour operators present here today for aiding in the smooth facilitation of such port visits,'' she said.

Miano explained that the Kenya Coast accounts for over 50 per cent of all tourist arrivals in the country and as such remains an integral part of Kenya's tourism sector.

The CS was flanked by Pollmans Tours and Safaris Director of Operations, Mr Mohamed Hersi, and Mombasa County Chief Officer for Tourism, Ms Pauline Oginga, who said.

KPA General Manager (Operations) Sudi Mwasinago said that with the mega investments in infrastructure, like the modern cruise terminal, the port can attract many cruise ships, with others opting to spend more than a day at the facility.

The vessel skipper, Captain Frederick Nillson, expressed his delight at the grand reception from highly professional pilotage services by KPA.

The visitors are expected to tour Mombasa Port City and adjacent national parks, with some travelling to Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks, respectively.