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Kenya welcomed a giant cruise ship with 1,100 tourists and 500 crew on board, signifying an economic boost ahead of Easter holiday.

The ship christened Ms Ambience, on a maiden voyage to Mombasa, arrived at the port’s cruise terminal at 6 am and was received by Ministry of Tourism Principal Secretary John Olotuaa and Kenya Tourism Board officials.

Since January, Mombasa port has received a total of four cruise ships with a total of 8,366 tourists having visited the country. This, according to the government, signifies Kenya as a prime destination in Africa.

Olotuaa said cruise ship tourism has been supported by the now operational ultra-modern cruise terminal which was developed by Kenya Ports Authority to enhance passenger experience at the Port of Mombasa.

“The cruise ship will be in Kenya for two days, and it’s very important to the economy of the area, within the two days they will be touring Tsavo, Amboseli, and Mombasa tourism destinations, and that is important for the economy,” he said.

Cruise tourism

The cruise terminal has solidified Kenya’s position as a hub not only for cargo operations but also for cruise tourism in Africa. The terminal has a capacity to hold 140,000 visitors annually.

Port officials said the vessel sailed to the facility early in the morning from Victoria Port in Seychelles carrying 1,700 passengers of different nationalities who will spend two days in our coastal town sampling what the region has to offer.

Julius Tai, General Manager, Engineering Services at Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said it has been a good cruise season for the agency as they have received a fleet of vessels since the circuit began sometime in September last year.

Tai, who spoke on behalf of the KPA Managing director William Ruto, confirmed that more vessels are expected at the port before the cruise season ends next month.

“Since the completion of the terminal, there has been a remarkable surge of cruise vessels, so far the port has handled 12 cruise ships and more calls are expected before the end of cruise circuit next month,” said Tai.

MS Ambience Captain Egil Aune confirmed the ship will be travelling across the world exploring different tourism destinations, but Kenya remains its preferred destination owing to its tourism products it offers.

The vessel captain said Kenya is one of the destinations that have exhibited professionalism in handling arrival of tourists among other destinations globally promising more vessels in future.

According to Aune, MS Ambience last port of call was Victoria, in Seychelles.

“It will head to Durban and later continue to Cape Town before making its way to the Atlantic towards South America Brazil and finally making its way to Europe, Calvary in London being the last destination on May 5 2024.

“This was our first cruise around the world, we have been in the market for two years in service now, and we hope more ships are coming in and perhaps calling in Mombasa again,” said Captain Aune.

Early last month, the Port of Mombasa received another cruise vessel – MV World Odyssey. The vessel popularly known as “Semester at Sea” is the world’s biggest floating campus, which operates academic voyages for students.

The ship was in Mombasa for six days, up to February 14. Aboard the ship were 763 passengers, of whom 585 were students from 20 different nations and 400 were crew members

Higher learning

The students were to visit institutions of higher learning, including the Technical University of Mombasa and the Kenyatta University Mombasa campus, for educational tours.

They were also to conduct excursions around the city and visit various wildlife parks during their stay, with many expected to go on safaris in Tsavo and Shimba Hills national parks.