Event:
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday January 12th 2016 opened a Marina at the Kenya coast making it the only one between the port cities of Cape Town in South Africa and Cairo, Egypt.
The Indian Ocean coast has over time been a preferred cruise destination and the English Point Marina at the Kenyan coast will open the East African country to a larger number of tourists annually as the cruise along the Indian Ocean waters.
Analysis:
Kenya’s tourism industry received a major boost when the president Uhuru Kenyatta opened the English Point Marina in Mombasa linking the East African country to two of the most famous cruise destinations in Africa; Cairo, Egypt and Cape Town, South Africa.
The English Point Marina will have a fully serviced 88-berth capacity that will go a long way in servicing yacht, cruise ships among other luxury ships that will pass through the Kenyan Mombasa Port.
The multi-billion resort will be set on a 4-acre area with facilities such as conferencing, 26-room hotel, roof-top with a vie restaurant, casino, swimming pool, 96 fully-serviced apartments with penthouses, gym, spa, boardwalk, and water-sports.
A marina is a dock with moorings and supplies for yacht and small boats with facilities such as refueling, washing and repair services, convenience stores, restaurants, discotheques among others that provide temporary berth.
President Uhuru also announced KSH 1.2 Billion incentives for charter planes to induce the demand, increasing the frequency of flights at the coast directly increasing the number of tourists visiting the Kenyan coast.
Among other measures announced by the president to revitalize the tourism sector include;
- Waiver of visa fees for children under the age of 16 years
- KWS bringing the park fees down to $60 from $90
Conclusion:
The marina is among some of the measures in place by the government to resurrect the tourism especially at the coast alongside improved infrastructure, security and renewed partnerships both at home and abroad.
The festive season marked the beginning of a good year ahead with hotels and resorts in the coast recording high tourist turnover both domestic and foreign attributed to the removal of travel advisories and bolstered security with heavy presence of security agents.
