KENYA INTRODUCES NEW INCENTIVES TO BOOST TOURISM
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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a range of new incentives to encourage tourism in the nation. Speaking at the opening of Kenya’s first luxury yachting marina (English Point Marina) in Mobasa, the President unveiled the initiatives including the Charter Incentive Scheme, changes to Kenyan visa regulations, and reduced costs on park fees.
As part of the US$11.7m Charter Incentive Scheme, charter airlines which travel to the coastal cities of Mombasa and Malindi, will now be able to land without any cost. Charter airlines will also be further incentivised as the Ministry has announced that they will be subsidised by US$30 per passenger brought to the region. The scheme will continue until June 30, 2018.
Tourist fees have also been revised as the Ministry of Tourism builds upon last year’s new and simplified e-visa process, by wiping the usual US$50 fee for visa applications of children under 16 – this will be effective from February 1, 2016. Additionally, the original KWS park fees of US$90 will now be reduced and capped to US$60, with a complete removal of VAT charges on national park fees.
The President also announced a number of coast infrastructure improvements that will ease travel to and around the Kenyan coast, saying, “We continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure in the knowledge that quality roads and services are critical to the socio-economic transformation that we all desire.”
Improvements include; Expansion of JKIA and Malindi airports to handle greater numbers of visitors; Construction of the Port – Reitz Mombasa Road and the Dongo-Kundu Bypass that will allow tourists to travel to the South Coast (Diani) without using the ferry; and Kenya Ferry Service to buy and operate two new ferries for the Likoni Channel crossing
The President further thanked the governments of the United States, United Kingdom and France for lifting their travel advisories on the coast saying, “International governments recognise that security here has vastly improved and there is much to be gained by partnering with Kenya and the East Africa region. We must not allow that momentum to be lost.”
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Najib Balala, also attending the opening said, “We are engaged in a high-level tourism recovery effort in consultation with stakeholders from the government and private sector. This is the right way to shape the strategies we need to transform and sustain our tourism industry. The government is fully behind our ambition to restore Kenya’s tourism crown and we ask all tourism stakeholders to respond to our initiatives with the seriousness they deserve. It is time to maximise the heritage and natural gifts we possess and give the world’s travellers the experience they deserve.”