First cruise terminal in Kenya to open in September

CONSTRUCTION of the first
cruise ship terminal at the port
of Mombasa, Kenya, began in
December and is expected to
be completed by August and
ready for use when the next
cruise tourism season begins
in September.
Kenya’s tourism cabinet
secretary, Najib Balala, said
the construction of the cruise
terminal would cost Ksh350m
(R45m) with Ksh250m (R32m)
funding from Kenya Ports
Authority and Ksh100m (R13m)
from TradeMark East Africa.
He added that the project
involved the modernisation
of an old building at the
port’s berth Number 1. “The
availability of a cruise terminal
at the port of Mombasa will be
a game changer for tourism, as
it will help attract more visitors
to the country.”
Najib said he was impressed
that cruise tourism was on
the path to recovery, with two
cruise ships having arrived last
month with more than 1 000
passengers and crew.
Kenya Ports Authority md,
Catherine Mturi-Wairi, said
the start of construction of
the terminal came at a time
when the port was experiencing
a rise in ship arrivals. Last
season, she said, the port
received 10 cruise ships, which
brought in more than 6 000
tourists.
She said the cruise terminal
would offer a range of facilities,
including a lounge area
for passengers, reception
counters for cruise operators,
restaurants and souvenir
shops.