NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 \u2013 President William Ruto has reaffirmed Kenya\u2019s commitment to positioning tourism as a key driver of economic growth, highlighting the potential of cruise tourism to attract foreign investment and create jobs.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Port of Mombasa on Sunday as he welcomed the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn<\/em>, Ruto said the government is investing in infrastructure, strategic marketing, and diverse tourism experiences to boost visitor numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are investing in quality infrastructure, engaging in strategic marketing, and enriching offers and experiences to sustainably drive our tourism numbers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Norwegian Dawn<\/em>, a 294-metre-long passenger vessel, arrived with 2,200 tourists and more than 1,000 crew members on board. Ruto noted that cruise tourism, which had slowed down in recent years, is now on the rise, with eight more cruise ships expected to dock this year.<\/p>\n \u201cCruise ships were at an all-time high a few years ago, and then we experienced a slowdown. But last year, we had 6,500 visitors, and this year, we expect the number to rise significantly,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n The President emphasised Kenya\u2019s unique tourism offerings, including pristine beaches, national parks, game reserves, and diverse cultures, which set the country apart as a premier global destination.<\/p>\n \u201cI am told 800 of our guests have already left for Amboseli. This speaks to what tourism is doing for our country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ruto, who interacted with tourists on board, underscored the role of the private sector in expanding hospitality facilities to accommodate the growing number of visitors.<\/p>\n Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano noted that the arrival of Norwegian Dawn<\/em> marked the highest number of cruise passengers Kenya has received at once in the past decade.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are happy that cruise tourism is picking up and Kenya is emerging as a favourite destination for cruise ships,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The more than 2,000 tourists who disembarked on Sunday morning are set to explore Kenya\u2019s coastal attractions, including its beaches and wildlife parks, as the country continues its push to achieve the target of welcoming five million tourists annually by 2027.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 \u2013 President William Ruto has reaffirmed Kenya\u2019s commitment to positioning tourism as a key driver of economic growth, highlighting the potential of cruise tourism to attract foreign investment and create jobs. Speaking at the Port of Mombasa on Sunday as he welcomed the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn, Ruto said the government […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110853\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}