Mombasa, 12 January 2016, Speaking at the opening of Kenya’s first luxury yachting marina (English Point Marina) in Mombasa, H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced an unprecedented tourism incentive package to attract world travellers back to Kenya.
- Visa fees for children under 16 will be scrapped indefinitely from 1st Feb 2016.
- VAT charges on National Park fees will be scrapped and KWS Park fees will be capped at $60 (down from $90) for the 2016/17 financial year.
- The Ksh1.2bn Charter Incentive Scheme continues until 30 June 2018. This waives landing fees at Mombasa and Malindi airports for all Charter Aircraft and provides a $30.00 (thirty dollar) rebate for all disembarking tourists.
The President also announced a number of coast infrastructure improvements that will ease travel to and around the Kenyan coast, saying, “We continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure, in the knowledge that quality roads and services are critical to the socio-economic transformation that we all desire.”
- Expansion of JKIA and Malindi airports to handle greater numbers of visitors.
- Construction of the Port – Reitz Mombasa Road and the Dongo – Kundu Bypass that will allow tourists to travel to the South Coast (Diani) without using the ferry.
- Kenya Ferry Service to buy and operate two new ferries for the Likoni Channel crossing.
The President further thanked the Governments of the United States, United Kingdom and France for lifting their travel advisories on the coast, saying, “International governments recognise that security here has vastly improved and there is much to be gained by partnering with Kenya and the East Africa region. We must not allow that momentum to be lost.”
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Hon. Najib Balala, also attending the opening, said, “We are engaged in a high-level tourism recovery effort in consultation with stakeholders from the government and private sector. This is the right way to shape the strategies we need to transform and sustain our tourism industry.
“The government is fully behind our ambition to restore Kenya’s tourism crown and we ask all tourism stakeholders to respond to our initiatives with the seriousness they deserve. It is time to maximise the heritage and natural gifts we possess and give the world’s travellers the experience they deserve.”
