The government was projected to lose Ksh105,744,000 after a luxury cruise ship meant to stop at the Mombasa Port changed its route to Tanzania owing to the political unrest in the country.
Confirming the change of route on Thursday, March 30, Kenya Ports Authority's principal corporate communication officer Hajj Masemo confirmed that the country had lost millions from the three days trip that was to take place in Kenya.
He detailed that each passenger from the cruise ship would have spent a minimum of Ksh26,436 a day.
“We have lost a lot of money as the cruise ship industry. From the studies in the past, when arriving on a cruise ship, each passenger spends a minimum of about 200 dollars(Ksh26,436) a day.
“For three days that’s 600 dollars (Ksh79,308), then there are crews, we have lost 800,000 dollars (Ksh105,744) assuming each would have spent that amount,” Masemo stated.
The ship, MV Seabourn Sojourn, was sailing from Mahe, Seychelles, with 800 tourists will dock in Zanzibar and Dar el Salaam for six days before sailing to South Africa, cancelling their stop over at Mombasa scheduled for April 14.
Masemo was part of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife led by Maara Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Kareke Mbiuki, which was on a five-day coast region inspection visit to flagship projects of the Ministry of Wildlife, Tourism, and Heritage.
The committee, meeting port cruise ship stakeholders at the port of Mombasa, added that because of the Azimio-led protest in the country, up to Ksh1.3 billion could be lost because of diverted cruise ships.
Mbuiki stated that the country had depended on the cruise ship industry to revive the sector after struggling throughout the covid 19 period.
He pleaded with political leaders in the country to find a quick solution to prevent further losses to tourism.
“You know that tourism is extremely sensitive regarding the security of tourists and operators; unfortunately, we have lost the cruise ship due to whatever is happening in the country or the tension.
“We urge political leaders to tone down, work together to revive the sector which was on its deathbed during the pandemic,” Mbuiki stated.
Further, he lamented that the government was using much money to market the country internationally, but tourists were moving to other countries because of the mass protests.
“It is extremely frustrating for the government to use a lot of money to market the country to attract tourists then lose the critical number which was supposed to come here.
“The demonstrations are completely killing this country, we are all political leaders, let's sit down, there’s no harm in talking to each other for the sake of this economy,” the MP added.
