The lifting of a UK travel ban to further areas of the Kenyan coast has been welcomed by the country’s tourism office.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office removed the travel advisory for further areas of the Kenya coast to include Malindi, situated northeast of Mombasa.
The lifting of the advisory for this section of the coast means the area from Malindi to the Tanzanian border is an “advisory-free zone,” according to the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).
Travel restrictions were imposed following a series of terrorist attacks last year and in 2013.
Visitors can now access the coast via Malindi airport in addition to Mombasa’s Moi international airport and Ukunda airport in Diani.
The latest development follows the lifting of the UK’s advisory between Tiwi and Watamu, including the city of Mombasa, in June and the US government’s move to lift its travel advisory for most parts of the coastal region last week.
“Whilst the south coast has always remained open for business, tourists will now be able to enjoy even more of the Kenya coast, with the only exclusion now being the areas further north, including Lamu County,” the KTB said.
The re-opening of Malindi will allow British holidaymakers to be offered a wider beach offering, either combined with a safari in one of Kenya’s 59 national parks or as a stand-alone holiday, it added.
Kenya received 117,201 visitors from the UK last year.