A luxury cruise ship, MSC Poesia, carrying 2,500 foreign tourists, among them 200 Chinese nationals, docked at the port city of Mombasa on Saturday.

The 294-meter cruise liner from the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC Poesia) is one of the biggest luxury vessels to dock at the port of Mombasa.

It has been making brief stopovers at various ports across Africa.

It was received by Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua among other officials with 1,000 crew members included 20 from Kenya.

“As a country, we are proud to receive visitors aboard the cruise ship who have reaffirmed that we remain a top notch tourism destination,” Mutua said.

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PHOTO | COURTESY: Tourism CS Alfred Mutua Receiving MSC Poesia at the Port of Mombasa

According to Mutua, Kenya received 3,123 tourists who traveled via luxury ship.

He added that Kenya has received more than 5,000 luxury cruise liner passengers, saying cruise tourism has experienced a post-COVID-19 revival.

“We are expecting in excess of 12,000 visitors coming here through cruise ships. Kenya should be receiving 140,000 visitors by cruise shippers annually,” Mutua said.

The CS also revealed that Kenya is negotiating with cruise ship companies to market the country’s scenic attractions, boost tourist arrivals, generate jobs, and spur economic growth.

“Kenya is committed to diversifying tourism products, conducting targeted marketing and improving security in order to increase annual tourist numbers from an average of 1.5 million to 10 million by 2030,” Mutua said.

He said the government targets to generate 2 billion shillings from cruise tourism in 2024 while strengthening public health has been prioritized to attract additional luxury ships.

Mutua said that discussions with cruise ship owners are ongoing to ensure their passengers are inoculated against yellow fever before they embark on the journey to the Kenyan coast, in line with World Health Organization(WHO) protocols.

He observed that visa exemption combined with seamless clearance procedures at the port of Mombasa has enhanced the growth of cruise tourism in Kenya.