Thomson, Thomas Cook and Cosmos have cancelled their charter programmes to Kenya for the rest of the winter season.
The decision was made after more than 600 Kenyans were killed in the wake of December’s rigged elections. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all but essential travel to the country, but it is now advising against travelling just to the west of the country, including parts of Nairobi and Mombasa town.
While none would comment on the state of Kenya sales, Kuoni customer services and operations director Francis Torilla said it would take the operator up to six months to recoup its losses following a drop in bookings.
African Safari Club director of sales, marketing and business development Daniel Sykes admitted sales are “well down” following the problems but added the operator hopes to recoup some of its losses by picking up bookings from other operators’ charter customers.
The Kenya Tourist Board UK admitted it has a big job to rebuild consumer confidence.