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Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano after welcoming the visitors during the\u00a0arrival of the Azamara Journey at the Port of Mombasa, carrying 690 passengers.\/HANDOUT<\/p>\nTourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano after welcoming the visitors during the\u00a0arrival of the Azamara Journey at the Port of Mombasa, carrying 690 passengers.\/HANDOUT<\/p>\n
Kenya has reaffirmed her ambition to become the leading cruise tourism hub in the Indian Ocean following the arrival of the Azamara Journey at the Port of Mombasa, carrying 690 passengers. <\/p>\n
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\nThe visit marks the third major cruise ship call of the 2025\/26 season, after successful port calls by the SH Diana and the Crystal Symphony.
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Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano who spoke after welcoming the visitors, said the arrival reflects the strong growth of Kenya\u2019s cruise tourism sector and the success of ongoing efforts to diversify the country\u2019s tourism offerings beyond its globally renowned wildlife safaris.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cToday, we are thrilled to welcome the Azamara Journey and her passengers to the Port of Mombasa. This is a significant milestone for our tourism sector and a clear signal that Kenya is increasingly being recognised as a premier cruise destination,\u201d Miano said.
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According to the Cabinet Secretary, cruise tourism has emerged as a key contributor to the country\u2019s blue economy, delivering tangible economic benefits to coastal communities and the national economy at large. <\/p>\n
She noted that in 2024, Kenya recorded a remarkable 140 per cent increase in arrivals by sea, underscoring the sector\u2019s rapid expansion. \n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis growth contributed to a record-breaking year for tourism, with the sector injecting KES 452.2 billion into our economy. These numbers demonstrate that our diversification strategy is working,\u201d she said.
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\nMiano highlighted the critical role played by infrastructure investments and policy reforms in driving this growth. <\/p>\n
The modern cruise terminal at the Port of Mombasa, coupled with a streamlined Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, has significantly improved the ease of access for international visitors arriving by sea.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cThrough improved port facilities and efficient travel processes, we are making it easier than ever for the world to discover the magic of Kenya\u2019s Indian Ocean coastline,\u201d she said.
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\nThe Cabinet Secretary added that cruise passengers provide an important boost to local businesses, including tour operators, artisans, transport providers and hospitality establishments, while also promoting cultural exchange and showcasing Kenya\u2019s coastal heritage.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAs more cruise liners include Mombasa in their itineraries, we expect increased visibility for Kenya as a diverse, competitive and sustainable tourism destination,\u201d Miano noted.<\/p>\n
\nShe reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to positioning Kenya as the leading cruise hub of the Indian Ocean, aligned with broader national goals under the blue economy agenda.
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\n\u201cA warm welcome to all our guests. Kenya is truly the Origin of Wonder,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano after welcoming the visitors during the\u00a0arrival of the Azamara Journey at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[80,351,352,98,100,353,101,350,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-19864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-kenya","9":"tag-kenya-news","10":"tag-star","11":"tag-star-news","12":"tag-star-news-kenya","13":"tag-star-newspaper-kenya","14":"tag-the-star","15":"tag-the-star-kenya","16":"tag-the-star-newspaper"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}