Charter operators say they will face an uphill battle
to bring tourists back to Kenya despite the lifting of a flight ban into
Mombasa.
The Kenya Tourist Board is to launch a recovery
campaign imminently following the Department of Transport’s announcement on
Thursday that UK airlines could fly into Mombasa with immediate effect. In May
the tourist board issued a directive suspending flights to Nairobi and Mombasa
because of fears of a terrorist attack. The directive for Nairobi was lifted on
June 26.
But First Choice Holidays product director Tim
Williamson said the security concerns had severely damaged tourism. “The
threats were so real I think it is going to be extremely difficult to build
that market again.”
Monarch, used by First Choice, is reviewing whether to
resume Mombasa flights.
TUI UK general manager for long haul and the rest
of Europe Tracy Denman-Hughes,
described the news as “fantastic” but said Britannia Airways would not resume
flights from Manchester in the near future. Flights from Gatwick may restart on
December 21, depending on talks with other operators and airlines, she added.