Kenya needs neighbours for cruise tourism
In its hey days, cruise ships were a prominent feature at the port of Mombasa. With weekly cruise voyages plying the port, Zanzibar and Seychelles, Mombasa city was teeming with foreign tourists.
At the height of Somali Piracy starting 2005, the star of cruise tourism faded in Kenya. Before then, there would be more than 40 such ships calling at the Mombasa port. The number has reduced to zero in the recent past.
Kenya Shipping Agents Association estimate that the country has lost more than Sh5.9 billion since 2007, when cruise tourism started to decline.
However, there is a flicker of hope that the industry could be revived. A modern cruise terminal worth $3.1 million is now complete with a capacity to handle 2,000 passengers. But this magnificent facility lies idle six months after its launch.
How can this terminal be put into an optimal use? It is a nagging question to many cruise tourism stakeholders.
Remarkably, PMAESA (Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) convened a meeting this week with a view to brainstorm an innovative cruise business strategy.
For an industry generating close to $30 billion in revenue, cruise tourism is one of the most competitive in maritime sector. If Kenya is to penetrate this market, then it has to offer an irresistible cruise package.
As the cruise industry resets from a major disruption caused by the pandemic, Kenya can seize this moment to entice cruise operators with a new travel destination. However, Kenya cannot achieve this on its own.
It requires her neighbours in the East and Southern Africa region already established in the business. Zanzibar and South Africa are good examples.
Kenya, through cruise operators, should market itself as a homeport for cruise ships— where voyages begin and end.
Obviously, it will require a seamless service connection with the nearby Moi International Airport for ease of accessing the cruise terminal.
“As the fastest growing maritime sector, cruise tourism is a product for the port and an industry for the country. If well natured [sic], it can create a good spill-over in the economy,” said Col. Andre Ciseau, the Secretary General for PMAESA.
In addition, there is a need to have a solid cruise product, which can be enhanced through travel arrangements with other regional partners under the PMAESA umbrella, adds Col Ciseau.
This should also include an inventory of tourist attraction sites, especially those within 200 kilometres range from the Port.
Present at the meeting was Jacques Massoni, the Director of Marseille Cruise Port Terminal. Ranked as the fourth largest cruise terminal in the Mediterranean and 15th in the world, Massoni’s presentation offered a reality check to Kenya’s aspiration of turning Mombasa into an African cruise hub.
A few conditions suffice.
There is a difference between ferry and cruise passengers. The latter are after an experience, hence the need to have a dedicated team who exclusively work in the cruise terminal. Thinking cruise all day long.
The challenge is not to win a first call but to establish and maintain relationship with top cruise operators, Massoni elaborated.
The stakeholders agreed to form Mombasa Port Cruise Terminal Club, consisting of Kenya Port Authority, PMAESA, Mombasa County government, Shipping and Travel agents amongst others.
It borrows from Marseille Provence Cruise Club, which helps augment the business strategy for Marseille Port Cruise Terminal.
To avoid scenarios that could lead to bad reviews for Kenya’s cruise industry, Miriam Mwakundia, Head of Marketing at KPA, implored on the need for a value chain analysis.
Capacity building is needed especially for food suppliers and curio vendors to be stationed at the Cruise Terminal.
This feeds to the quality assurance of the cruise terminal services. It also cuts across hoteliers and travel agents. We have to price ourselves within the range of cruise travellers.
