Cruise ship terminal launched at Mombasa Port

Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho (left) with the General Manager of Tamarind Restaurant Victor Shitaka (centre) and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala after the launch of a Sh350 million cruise ship handling terminal in Mombasa yesterday. A Sh350 million cruise ship handling facility has been launched at the port of Mombasa. (PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/ STANDARD)

A Sh350 million cruise ship handling facility has been launched at the port of Mombasa.

The state-of-the-art facility will replace Mombasa Port Shade 1 and 2 established in 1926 and which has been handling cruise liners.

While commissioning the facility yesterday, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said the project will be a game changer and is expected to be completed in July 2017.

Mr Balala, who was flanked by his Principal Secretary Fatuma Hirsi Mohamed, revealed that TradeMark East Africa contributed Sh100 million while Kenya Ports Authority pumped in Sh250 million towards the project.

Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, TradeMark East Africa's David Stantton and KPA General Manager (infrastructure development) Abdulahi Samatar were present during the launch.

Mr Joho has pledged assistance towards making Mombasa cruise tourism destination of choice and challenged key players to work with other stakeholders in seeking sustainable tourism and to create the much-needed synergy in development matters.

''Our beach tourism still faces myriad problems. We are now diversifying and hope to fully tap into the Meeting, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions' and Cruise tourism which have the potential to grow tourism traffic,'' said Balala as he introduced the newly appointed Kenya Tourism Board boss Betty Radier.

Dr Radier said she will take it upon herself to urge the tourism marketing agency to establish a unit to work closely with other stakeholders to aggressively market Mombasa Port as a cruise port of call.

Balala said international tourist arrivals between January and October have increased by 16 per cent.