The Kenya Tourism industry got a major boost  after receiving her maiden cruise ship vessel, MV World Odyssey, at the port of Mombasa on Sunday after almost four years.

 MV Odyssey, which has 800 tourists (passengers and crew) docked at the Sh350 million cruise ship terminal that was completed in 2019.

No cruise ship has made call to the port since the onset of Covid-19 in 2020.

The timely arrival of the vessel towards peak tourism season is expected to boost the economy of the region and regain the glory of the Coastal city as a hub for tourism.

Tourism Cabinet Secretary Penina Malonza, KPA management led by acting MD Ambassador John Mwangemi and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) management were on site to receive the guests.

"The arrivial  of MV Odyssey is a much needed kicker to the industry which is recovering from the adverse effect of the pandemic," said Malonza.

Malonza said that the ministry will continue to actively engage with relevant stakeholders among them the ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to ensure thar the cruise industry benefits from the presence of essential infrastructure at the Kenyan coast

She said Kenya is ready to be part of the cruise tourism industry saying that the construction of the cruise ship terminal at the port by KPA is a laudable move and the first step towards tapping into the lucrative segment.

"The government will continue to develop and implement tourism policies that will improve the experiences of tourists visiting Kenya more specifically the coast region. These will include infrastructure projects such as the upgrading of the Moi International Airport in Mombasa, Ukunda Airstrip in Kwale as well as road infrastructure to support tourism," she said.

The KPA acting Managing Director Ambassador John Mwangemi said this was the first cruise ship to call to port at the newly constructed Cruise ship terminal after construction was completed in 2019.

 "The arrival of World Odyssey to the Kenyan coast is a positive nod and an affirmation of our country as a premier tourism destination and hub due to the varied fascinating experiences ‘Magical Kenya’ has to offer," he said.

 He reiterated that KPA is well equipped with all the facilities needed to welcome guests into the country. 

"We have customs and security installation together with all the necessary requirement. The next stage for KPA is to continue branding and marketing Kenya as a destination for this segment of the tourist industry," said Mwangemi.

He said that Cruise tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors that is international and has leveraged on the shipping and maritime industry to expand.  He added that before the advent of the covid-19 pandemic which significantly slowed it down, it was the fastest growing segment within 

the larger tourism industry.

"Since the early 2000’s, the Port of Mombasa has received numerous  cruise vessels bringing in thousands of tourists from all over the world to our shores," he said.

Mwangemi said KPA  has partnered with KTB and Port Management Association of East & Southern Africa (PMAESA) in promoting the Port of Mombasa as a cruise tourism destination to attract more vessels to the Indian seaboard through the Cruise Africa Association (CAA).

 He added that the state-of the art terminal is built to modern standards complete with various amenities including duty free shops, restaurants, conference facilities, passenger baggage areas, and offices for key stakeholders in the industry.

"The World Odyssey which has called our port today, operates the Worlds floating campus, an academic voyage for students commonly known as Semester at Sea," he said.

The Semester at Sea started its journey in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on 9th September 2022 and has cruised to Lisbon-Portugal, Casablanca Morocco, Valencia- Spain, Dubrovnik-Croatia, Piraeus-Greece, Limassol -Cyprus, Aqaba in Jordan and now Mombasa-Kenya.

 From Mombasa it heads to Mumbai India then to Dubai before returning to Mombasa again on January 29 for a five day stay.

"This is my first time in Kenya. I'm expecting to meet the local people interact with them and get to learn more about the culture" said Kanon Mori, one of the visitors.