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State eases cruise travel rules to boost tourism
Cruise Ship MV Norwegian Dawn docks at the Port of Mombasa with more than 2000 Tourists onboard in this photo taken on January 14, 2024.
International tourists will be allowed to leave cruise vessels docking at the Port of Mombasa to sample Kenya's tourism gems, including national parks and the pristine beaches, after the government resolved the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) challenges.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Ms Rebecca Miano, said earlier it was a requirement for international tourists to apply for an individual eTA on arrival, hindering most from disembarking from their cruise ships to sample Kenya's tourism hub.
However, Ms Miano said President William Ruto intervened when he welcomed a cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers at the port of Mombasa in February this year and directed the immigration department to work with the cruise lines to utilise the information already available and the manifest to process the international tourists' eTA before arrival. This would enable tourists to plan their visits.
"When we welcomed the cruise ships earlier this year, several challenges were identified that stopped visitors from disembarking from the vessels and getting into Mombasa and other areas.
"The main challenge was the requirement to apply for an eTA individually on arrival. But the President gave us a directive to work with the cruise lines and the Ministry of Immigration to utilise the information already available and the manifest so that by the time they arrive, their immigration documents and their eTAs have been processed to enable them to plan to visit tourism circuits the whole day," said Ms Miano.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano during an interview at her office in Nairobi on June 3, 2025.
Ms Miano was responding to questions from Nominated Senator Miraj Abdalla, who enquired about the status update on challenges facing international tourists arriving in the country using cruise ships.
"We have been having challenges with cruise ships whenever they dock at the port of Mombasa; many visitors are unable to disembark from their vessels and sample our tourism gems. Has the ministry addressed this challenge so that our visitors can visit our country without facing challenges?" asked Ms Abdalla.
Ms Miano said the challenge has been addressed ahead of high season, starting from this month. The CS said this cruise ship peak season starts this month up to March next year, and Kenya will reap big from the sector.
"We will record more international tourist arrivals via the cruise ship. The tourists will now disembark from the cruise ships for safaris," she added.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the tourism performance data for 2024, as compared with 2023, shows Kenya welcomed approximately 2.4 million international tourists in 2024, marking a 14.6 per cent increase from the 2.089 million arrivals recorded in 2023. The sector's earnings rose to Sh452 billion in 2024, reflecting a 19.79 per cent growth compared to the previous year's Sh377.49 billion.
Cruise tourism experienced a 163.5 per cent surge with 6,561 tourists arriving in 2024, up from 2.490 in 2023. Domestic tourism bed-night occupancy is estimated to have grown by 12 per cent from 4,618,094 in 2023 to 5,173,966 in 2024.
"This rise may have been occasioned by an improved business environment, domestic travelers presumably encouraged by factors such as promotional campaigns, or other incentives, and a growing interest of Kenyan citizens to participate in domestic tourism," said Ms Miano.
Ms Miano said the strong performance is attributed to a combination of factors, including enhanced air connectivity, the simplification of visa processes through the eTA system, improved collaborative marketing efforts, focus on new product segments and renewed traveler confidence in the Kenyan brand.
"It is worth noting that domestic tourism has played a stabilizing role during global travel downturns. International travel normalised in 2024. domestic tourism continued to grow, showing that both segments complement each other in building the sector's resilience," said Ms Miano.
The CS said Kenya did not record a decline in international tourist arrivals in the year 2024.
"On the contrary, the country posted the highest inbound arrivals and earnings in over a decade. The country outperformed many regional peers in key indicators. Kenya has maintained fifth overall position as a tourist destination in Africa in 2023 and 2024 consecutively and position two in Sub-Saharan Africa," she told the Senate.
