A third of the areas falling under the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advisory against all but essential travel to Kenya are popular tourist areas.
Tiwi, Malindi, Kilifi and Watamu are all home to tourist resorts and, other than fishing and trading, tourism and related activities are the main livelihood of the people, says Travel n Style’s Devan Jobanputra. “The fact that transit through the Moi International Airport in Mombasa has also been highlighted paints a poor picture of the government’s security apparatus at the country’s second largest and busiest airport, where flights are occasionally diverted to when there are weather or runway-related issues at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.”
On March 27, the UK FCO updated its travel advisory, advising against all but essential travel to the east of Kenya, citing a high threat from terrorism. This came less than a week after British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, revealed that the United Kingdom government was in talks with the Kenyan government to review the travel advisory issued to its British citizens.
The Kenya Tourism Board swiftly released a statement reminding travellers of popular areas not included in the advisory. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Ukunda Airport, Diani Beach, Galu Beach, Kinondo, Msambweni, Funzi Island, Shimoni, Wasini Island and all safari circuits throughout Kenya are not affected by the advisory and continue to operate as normal.
“The rest of the country, including Nairobi, the national reserves and parks, and other popular safari destinations, are still perfectly safe to visit,” Devan adds.
