Britain lifts travel ban on Lamu, Manda islands

The UK government has lifted its travel ban on Lamu, but cautioned against use of road to access the place. In a statement on its website, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it no longer advises against travel to Lamu and Manda Islands.

“If you travel to Lamu Island or Manda Island, you should do so by air to Manda airport and not by road,” the statement reads in part.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Coast Executive Officer, Mr Sam Ikwaye said  that this is a great move that will see the coastal region bounce back to its former glory. “This is long overdue, the investors have really suffered during the three to four years that the ban has been in place. Unlike Malindi where some investors shut down, Lamu investors have remained resilient through all this,” he said.

“We are happy about what is happening in the industry. Farmers, fishermen and all the players in the supply chain in this sector have suffered. But this is a positive move towards boosting tourist arrivals into the country.”

This comes at a time when the country is being represented by 40 trade operators at the ongoing International Tourism Bourse (ITB) travel show in Berlin, Germany. Speaking at the ITB, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said that Kenya is making efforts to lower the cost of doing business through business regulatory reforms intended at reducing the number of licensing requirements.

“Tourism has potential of creating more jobs for our citizens (for every 10 visitors, 1 job is created), earning the Government more tax revenue, which currently stands at Sh94 billion,” Balala said.

He said this aids in conservation of wildlife, flora and marine – through proceeds from visits to parks and game reserves, promoting peace and tolerance through interaction between the visitors and the locals, and reducing crime and radicalisation of youths by engaging them in productive activities.

Since 2012, the tourism sector has experienced a downturn, attributed to among others prohibitive policy regulations such as VAT on tourism services and negative perceptions of the destination security. The private sector led by the Kenya Tourism Federation has agreed with the Government sound policy interventions are necessary for the sector’s revival.

A lot is happening even in the regional arena to boost revenues in the tourism sector. Two weeks ago, a portal seeking to promote tourism in the region-the East Africa Tourism Portal- went live. The portal provides an avenue for all players in the tourism industry to market and advertise their products. It also provides travellers an avenue to select different (multi-country) travel packages.