Kenya is ‘safer than ever’

THE Kenyan government
is taking significant
measures to heighten
security and put visitors at
ease. This follows another
terrorist attack, this time at
the Garissa University College,
in which 148 students were
killed.
John Addison, director of
Wild Frontiers, says although
travellers should avoid the
north of Kenya, the rest of the
country is “probably safer than
ever before”. He says: “The
main game areas, like Masai
Mara and the main coastal
areas around Mombasa, have
been well secured.”
Russel Jarvis, head of
communications at Travelstart,
says the Kenyan government
is taking significant measures
to heighten security and put
visitors at ease. “Troops have
been deployed to the areas
where the latest attacks
occurred as well as to known
high-risk areas.”
Dr Ibrahim Mohamed,
principal secretary for
the Ministry of EA Affairs,
Commerce and Tourism said
in a statement: “To all those
visitors here on holiday now,
and those with planned trips
in the coming days, we offer
our reassurance that tourist
destinations remain secure
and we urge all visitors and
operators to remain calm
and continue with your plans.
The main tourist areas are
unaffected by this incident.”
Carel Verhoef, Discover
Africa’s manager for East and
Central Africa, says that, in
general, people are trying to
avoid Nairobi and the east
coast but they are still asking
to visit the key parks and
reserves in the south west.
“There have been no
incidents in any of Kenya’s
parks or reserves. The Masai
Mara, Amboseli, Rift Valley
lakes and Loita Hills are still
popular attractions for South
African travellers,” Carel says.
He adds: “We have had
a spike in South Africans
visiting Kenya over the last few
months. Perhaps it is because
of the release of SADC rates
or because South Africans are
making use of specials within
the Kenyan safari product.”
But not all operators are
seeing this trend.
John Ridler, spokesperson
for Cullinan Outbound Tourism,
told TNW that the Westgate
Shopping Mall massacre in
2013 was a major blow to the
country’s tourism industry. “We
saw little recovery in interest
for Kenya afterwards.”
He says the latest terrorist
attack will certainly dissuade
any potential clients from
travelling to Kenya for the
foreseeable future. “Unlike
natural disasters, such as
the tsunami in the Far East,
terrorism is abhorrent and not
easily forgotten.”
John Addison says Wild
Frontiers hasn’t organised
many Kenya trips over the past
few months and that the recent
terrorist attack will have a
further impact on tourism, even
though Garissa is far removed
from any tourist areas.