- There will be two weekly flight services from Frankfurt, Germany to Mombasa, with onward flights to the region.
- Kenya received 5,595 tourists from Germany, a 13.3 per cent increase from 4,939 the previous year.
Image: HANDOUT
A new airline has launched a direct route from Germany to Kenya's coastal city, Mombasa in what is likely to push up tourist arrivals during the December peak season.
Eurowings Discover, the newest leisure airline within the Lufthansa Group, commenced its flights on July 24 with two weekly flight services from Frankfurt, Germany to Mombasa, with onward flights to the region.
Tourist arrivals from Germany account for Kenya's 7.2 per cent of the international arrival, fourth behind the US 12.9 per cent, Italy 12 per cent and the UK 9.5 per cent.
In 2019, Kenya received 5,595 tourists from Germany, a 13.3 per cent increase from 4,939 the previous year.
Speaking during the reception of the inaugural flight at the Moi International Airport Mombasa, Tourism CS Najib Balala said that the flight was a testament to the strides Kenya is making in the recovery of tourism activities, which were minimal due to restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that the Kenyan coast is a popular destination for European tourists adding that the flight would create a link between Kenya and European travelers.
“Kenya has been making great progress as a destination in attracting tourists from different markets and especially from Europe. This flight is yet another milestone in the recovery of activities in the country,'' Balala said.
He added that the commencement of flights by Eurowings Discover will link Kenya with both business and leisure clients from Germany and the region.
Principal secretary, Department of Tourism, Safina Kwekwe said that the government was working towards ensuring that a conducive environment that allows a vibrant air travel system and in the process support tourism activities.
“This development also gives us hope and reassures us that people are eager to travel and experience the world yet again, as a destination we are working hard to ensure that we are ready to host tourists,'' she said.
The Kenya Tourism Board CEO Betty Radier welcomed the new Eurowings Discover flight to Kenya saying that it signaled the growing confidence in the destination by tourists in regards to preparedness against Covid-19 which has enhanced traveler confidence.
''We shall continue to market Kenya to the world to ensure that we tap into each available market. That said, this flight is a signal of this growth and confidence in Magical Kenya as a preferred destination globally “she commented,'' Radier said.
With more countries vaccinating their citizens across the world and most beginning to relax their travel restrictions, there is an increased demand of people yearning to travel, relax and explore across the globe.
This creates an opportunity for destinations to tap into this, putting into consideration the need to reassure visitors of their health as well as offering different tourism opportunities.
''This is our very first destination for our brand-new leisure airline, Eurowings Discover. With this addition to our destination portfolio, we are further strengthening our footprint on the African continent for the Lufthansa Group,'' Andre Schulz, Sales, Lufthansa Group, Southern & East Africa.
The holiday is the major reason for travel into Kenya in the period to January, accounting for 69.15 per cent of the total arrivals according to the Kenya Tourism Board.
In 2019, holiday arrivals increased by 0.5 per cent to 61,342 in 2019 as compared to 61,059 in 2018.
Business and conference contributed 11,684 arrivals or 13.2 per cent and increase7,374 indicating a growth of 58.4 per cent.
Last year, the social-economic effects of Covid-19 muzzled the sector.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the sector lost close to $1 billion (Sh108 billion) in revenue between January and October, when the number of foreign visitors fell by two-thirds due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
International visitors fell to fewer than 500,000 in the first 10 months from 1.7 million in 2019.
The tourism sector earned the Kenyan government an equivalent of Sh163.5 billion. This was expected to grow by a percentage the following year but corona crushed the aspiration.