Boost for Kenya’s Tourism as Plane Carrying 189 Foreign Tourists Lands in Mombasa

Kenya’s tourism sector received a boost after a plane carrying nearly 200 foreign tourists landed at Mombasa International Airport (MIA) on Saturday.

The Ukrainian charter flight with 189 visitors onboard touched the ground at MIA at 9 am and was received by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, Ukrainian Ambassador to Kenya Pravednyk Andrii, and a team from Mombasa County government led by Tourism chief officer Asha Abdi. 

The arrival of the tourists comes after the county government signed a Sister City Agreement between Mombasa and Ukraine’s port city of Odessa.

Ms. Abdi said the visits are aimed at creating a relationship between the two tourism stakeholders to showcase the tourist attractions from the two cities.

"The familiarization trips planned and hosted by the County Government of Mombasa in partnership with the Ukraine consulate offered a unique experience for the visitors. It created a memorable visit that will help sell Mombasa city as a holiday destination," said Abdi.

On his part, CS Balala said the arrival of the charter flight provides hope for the recovery of the nation’s tourism, which has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic

"Three weeks ago, we welcomed the Romanian charter flight. It is the Eastern block that is showing a lot of interest since the traditional markets are still under lockdown,” said CS Balala.

He added: "The national and county government are working on a model to use the charter incentive programs through the National Treasury to increase flights in Mombasa to address the issue of occupancies at the hotels at the Kenyan Coast in general. We want to promote much more of this region.”