Kenya’s Minister of Tourism, Najib Balala, has announced discussions with low-cost UK and European-based airlines in an effort to boost tourism to Kenya’s coastal regions.
Speaking at the sixth Africa Civil Aviation Air Navigation Services Conference in Mombasa on Tuesday, Balala said: “We are developing a strategy to encourage low-cost carriers from the UK to fly here. I will be looking to start discussions with Ryanair and easyJet.”
CS @tunajibu officially opens 6th Civil Air Navigation Services Organization @CANSONews Africa Conference held at @SarovaWhitesand pic.twitter.com/yiG3QNirLv
— Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife-Kenya (@Min_TourismKE) September 4, 2018
Balala said the UK was Kenya’s second-largest source market, after the US. In October, national carrier, Kenya Airways, will launch direct flights between New York and Nairobi, servicing the US tourist market.
He added that the country had projected a climb in visitor numbers this year, boosted by improved security and infrastructure, including a new rail service. He said air access and poor standards in air travel on the continent had hindered growth for tourism in Africa. “Quite a number of airports in Africa are not up to standard. The frustrations of every client coming through our airports might make them not come back again,” he said. He elaborated that ground handlers must work on their standards of service delivery: “Sometimes you might see the big international names coming to African airports, but the standard of their ground handler in Mombasa or Nairobi is different from those at Dubai or Heathrow airports.”
