The tourism sector at the Coast has received a major boost following the arrival of 250 Polish tourists in Mombasa on Wednesday.
The tourists landed at the Moi International Airport from a TUI fly-operated flight from Warsaw to a rapturous welcome from tourism officials led by Kenya Coast Tourist Association Chairman Victor Shitakah.
The latest development is a major boost to the region’s tourism industry that has been reeling from a prolonged electioneering period that has seen massive cancellations from international tourists.
Early last year, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala unveiled a Sh1.2 billion charter incentive programme aimed at reducing costs for tourists.
The CS said the landing fees at Mombasa’s Moi International Airport and Malindi Airport for charter airlines would be waived.
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He further offered a $30 (Sh3,099) per person charter flight subsidy for all flights landing at the coast with a minimum 80 per cent manifest.
TUI fly is one of the airlines benefiting from the Charter Incentive Programme, which ends in June 2018.
"This is quite exciting news for the Kenya and the Coast as a whole. While we have our own challenges as a nation, which we hope to surpass peacefully, destination Kenya still remains a popular long-haul destination of choice for many visitors," said Shitakah who is also the Chief Executive of the Kenya Safari Lodges and Hotels.
TUI fly will have one flight a week, which is expected to be scaled up to 15 from April 2018.
KTB Managing Director Dr Betty Radier said Poland was a key market for Kenya as it was one of the largest and most influential countries in the European Union with a population of 38 million.
‘’Since joining the EU in 2004, the country has fast caught up with the rest of Europe,’’ said Dr Radier.
