Nairobi, Feb 23 (IANS) Kenyan President William Ruto said on Sunday that the government will revise visa and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirements for passengers arriving at the Port of Mombasa as part of efforts to boost cruise tourism.
Ruto said the multiple-entry eTA will allow cruise tourists seeking to explore Mombasa to move freely between cruise ships and the city without requiring authorisation each time they leave the boat, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We will be changing our visa and eTA to make entry into the country easier and seamless so that there is no paperwork or unnecessary delays for visitors,” he said in Mombasa as the cruise liner MS Norwegian Dawn, the largest vessel ever to dock at the port, arrived with more than 3,100 people on board.
Ruto said the visa and eTA changes will be in line with recent adjustments made for international arrivals at the country’s major airports, ensuring a uniform entry process for all travelers.
The East African country received 6,561 cruise tourists last year, with the sub-sector growing by over 163.5 per cent, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.
The introduction of a multiple-entry eTA, coupled with increased investment in ports, is expected to boost cruise tourism by attracting more ships to the Port of Mombasa, said Rebecca Miano, cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife.
Miano added that Kenya will receive eight cruise ships during the cruise season.
Kenya’s international tourist arrivals increased by 15 per cent to 2.4 million, up from 2.09 million in 2023, according to the ministry. Inbound tourism earnings rose by 19.8 per cent to 452.20 billion shillings (about $3.49 billion) from $2.92 billion in 2023.
“Cruise ships were at an all-time high a few years ago, and then we experienced a slowdown. But last year, we had (about) 6,500 visitors, while this year, we expect the number to rise as we expect another eight cruise ships to dock,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan President urged the private sector to expand facilities to improve the hospitality industry and cope with the increasing number of tourists coming to the country.
–IANS
int/khz
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
