Kenya’s burgeoning upper-middle-class appetite for cruise tourism has been on the rise in the past few years.
According to industry players, the trend in cruise tourism is on the rise in East Africa as Kenya is set to become the second major African destination for international cruise ships, after Egypt.
Holiday Bazaar, which is the leading Kenyan travel agency in Kenya says that cruise holiday bookings have been on the increase locally, with the exponential growth witnessed in the last 4 years.
Initial cruise bookings by then was ranging from no more than 20 guests annually to now exceeding 1000 guests, says the agency who have been selling cruise packages for the past 20 years
Cruises make for an attractive travel offering for the upper-middle-class Kenyan for a number of reasons, among them providing an all-inclusive holiday without having to worry about managing accommodation, meals and entertainment.
The ability to travel to multiple destinations at one go and also the inconvenience of not having to pack and unpack or go through tedious immigration processes, is also another advantage.
“We see a huge demand for cruise tourism domestically. Kenyan travelers cannot get enough of the experience. With a 99.9% satisfaction guaranteed, it makes for an attractive holiday package regardless of age,” Nishma Shah of Holiday Bazaar told the African Press Agency in Nairobi.
“With our expertise in understanding the local market coupled with our unique partnerships with the likes of Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises, we are able to offer an unparalleled cruise booking service not currently available in Kenya,” added Shah.
Some of the more popular destinations with Kenyans include the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and an increasing trend towards sailing around the Indian Ocean to exotic islands such as Seychelles and Mauritius.
Holiday Bazaar have already launched the first fully-fledged and flagship cruise shop in Kenya.
The tailored offering will provide cruise travel packages specifically targeting the Kenyan traveller, from some of the most renowned cruise liners globally.
JK/abj/APA