A
major threat to the tourism industry of ANY country is terrorism...... because as much as we love adventures, we try as much as possible to stay away from imminent danger.
Yesterday, hundreds of British tourists were evacuated from Kenya, while others fled to their countries last night as the capital Nairobi was rocked by bombings.
Holidaymakers had their trips cut short after the Foreign Office warned against traveling to beach resorts along the coast.
Travel
firms chartered planes to bring people home early from Nairobi, the
Indian Ocean resort of Mombasa and other parts of the country. As anxious travellers
arrived at Kenyan airports to check in for their flights to Britain, two
bombs went off in Nairobi, leaving at least 13 dead and 70 injured. The
explosions follow a recent spate of terror attacks by the Islamist Al
Shabaab group, including an explosion at a bus station that killed three
and the discovery of a bomb at a hotel. These prompted the Foreign
Office to alter its travel advice for Kenya, warning against all but
essential travel to areas within 37 miles of the Kenya-Somali border and
Nairobi. It added: ‘There
has been a spate of small-scale grenade, bomb and armed attacks in
Nairobi, Mombasa, and North Eastern Province.’
Fleeing tourists
This is unfortunate, and we hope normalcy returns soon, as the tourism industry is the major source of Foreign Exchange earnings for Kenya...... RIP to those who lost their lives, and may the Almighty comfort their loved ones.
TRAVEL TO KENYA: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY TRAVELMAIL
Where exactly have tourists been warned they cannot go?
The latest advice for tourists is to avoid all but essential travel to Mombasa Island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek, north of the city, and Tiwi in the south.
However, the warning does not include the popular beach resort of Diani or Moi international airport, which is the gateway to the coast.
I have a holiday booked on Kenya’s coast, will it be cancelled?
Tour operators will cancel any holidays that are based in the areas that have now been declared off-limits.
They are not obliged to cancel trips to other parts of Kenya. However, some companies, such as Thomson and First Choice, have also evacuated holidaymakers from Diani, which is not included in the latest advice.
Therefore it is advisable to contact your holiday company to see what its policy is.
My holiday has been cancelled, what are my rights?
Rest assured, if you have booked through a tour operator you are entitled to a full refund or you will be offered an alternative trip.
Customers who have booked flights and accommodation separately should expect to be refunded as long as their accommodation is
If you have booked your trip independently and have travel insurance it should pay out for any trips cancelled due to changing travel advice. Always make sure you check your policy closely.
I am booked for a safari holiday and am not going near the south coast, will my trip still go ahead?
Tour operators offering trips to areas that are not affected by the latest travel update will go ahead as usual.
What if I have a holiday to Kenya booked but don’t want to go following this news?
Unless your trip is to one of the affected areas which tourists have been advised to avoid then your booking still stands.
Companies in general will not allow customers to cancel bookings to other parts of the country which are still considered safe according to government organisations.
Where is considered safe?
Almost all of the rest of Kenya, including popular safari areas, is considered safe. The only new areas tourists have been told to avoid are Mombasa island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north down to and including Tiwi in the south.
Long-standing advice about non-essential travel includes areas within 37 miles of the Kenya –Somali border, Kiwayu Island and coastal areas north of Pate Island (in the south east of the country), the Garissa district (in the east), the Eastleigh area of Nairobi and the slum areas of the Kenyan capital.
The latest advice for tourists is to avoid all but essential travel to Mombasa Island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek, north of the city, and Tiwi in the south.
However, the warning does not include the popular beach resort of Diani or Moi international airport, which is the gateway to the coast.
I have a holiday booked on Kenya’s coast, will it be cancelled?
Tour operators will cancel any holidays that are based in the areas that have now been declared off-limits.
They are not obliged to cancel trips to other parts of Kenya. However, some companies, such as Thomson and First Choice, have also evacuated holidaymakers from Diani, which is not included in the latest advice.
Therefore it is advisable to contact your holiday company to see what its policy is.
My holiday has been cancelled, what are my rights?
Rest assured, if you have booked through a tour operator you are entitled to a full refund or you will be offered an alternative trip.
Customers who have booked flights and accommodation separately should expect to be refunded as long as their accommodation is
If you have booked your trip independently and have travel insurance it should pay out for any trips cancelled due to changing travel advice. Always make sure you check your policy closely.
I am booked for a safari holiday and am not going near the south coast, will my trip still go ahead?
Tour operators offering trips to areas that are not affected by the latest travel update will go ahead as usual.
What if I have a holiday to Kenya booked but don’t want to go following this news?
Unless your trip is to one of the affected areas which tourists have been advised to avoid then your booking still stands.
Companies in general will not allow customers to cancel bookings to other parts of the country which are still considered safe according to government organisations.
Where is considered safe?
Almost all of the rest of Kenya, including popular safari areas, is considered safe. The only new areas tourists have been told to avoid are Mombasa island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north down to and including Tiwi in the south.
Long-standing advice about non-essential travel includes areas within 37 miles of the Kenya –Somali border, Kiwayu Island and coastal areas north of Pate Island (in the south east of the country), the Garissa district (in the east), the Eastleigh area of Nairobi and the slum areas of the Kenyan capital.
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