US rules out lifting travel advisories to Kenya in the near future

By Macharia Kamau

The United States of America is unlikely to lift its travel advisories to Kenya any time soon.

US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, said while Kenya may have tried to beef up its security in attempts to fight terror and general insecurity, the country shares borders with volatile countries.

"The travel advisories have little to do with Kenya, but the countries that border Kenya. The country is in a bad neighbourhood," he said, adding: "Unless things get better with Somalia, it is unlikely that the travel ban will be lifted."

Players in the tourism industry have cited sustained negative travel advisories to Kenya as hurting the industry, with many would-be visitors opting for other destinations in the region like Tanzania, which are deemed safer compared to Kenya.

While the US is one of the leading tourist source markets for Kenya, experts say the numbers could go up if the advisory is lifted.

The US Department of State revised the travel advisory to its citizens late last year, citing high incidence of violent crime and terrorism threats.

The new advisory adds portions of Lamu to the ‘dangerous’ areas in Kenya that Americans should reconsider before visiting. Others include the entire Eastern and North Eastern strip where Kenya borders Somalia and Ethiopia.

Hurt industry

The travel warning issued December 28, last year, replaced another issued in July, 2009. Inclusion of Lamu in a danger zone in the recent travel advisory, which is one the premiere tourism attractions, might hurt the industry as well as the town that is heavily dependent on tourism.

Ranneberger, however, said such advisories were standard practice across the world.

"Many countries have issued such advisories to their citizens, cautioning them against going to downtown in some of US cities," he said.