There is an increase in demand for cruises in Kenya according to Holiday Bazaar’s Nishma Shah who said that the tourism sub-sector had seen exponential growth in the last four years with initial cruise bookings ranging from a maximum of 20 guests per year to now exceeding 1000.
Some of the popular destinations with Kenyans include the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and an increasing trend towards sailing around the Indian Ocean to islands like Mauritius and Seychelles.
The trend is expected to become the second major African destination for international cruise liners, after Egypt. Shah said that was in part due to the building of the new cruise terminal in Mombasa, anticipated to open in 2020.
Cruise tourism includes all-inclusive holidays without having to worry about managing meals, accommodation, and entertainment. It gives holidaymakers a chance to travel to many destinations at one go.
Shah was speaking during the announcement of the Cruise and Travel Planners' launch, the first flagship and fully-fledged cruise shop in the country by Holiday Bazaar. The tailor-made offering will feature cruise travel packages targeting the Kenyan traveller, from some of the world's most renowned cruise liners.