The Coast is poised to receive an unprecedented number of international tourists this year as more flights resume operations to Mombasa.
After a 10-year break, Lot Charters has resumed flight operations from Prague in the Czech Republic to coastal city.
Mombasa is also receiving scheduled flights from Italy, and Fly Dubai will start flying into Mombasa in mid-month.
Several charter flights are already flying into the region.
More charter flights from Bulgaria, Romania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are also scheduled to start flying into the region, while others are expected to increase their frequency.
Hoteliers in the region are optimistic that tourist arrivals will help boost the sector.
Veteran hotelier Mohammed Hersi exuded confidence that these increased numbers will have a great impact on the tourism industry in the region, which has slowly been recovering from the impacts of Covid-19 from three years ago.
“Simply put, Kenya's Coast is happy. Those flights not only support the beach resorts; they also benefit camps in Amboseli in Kajiado county, Mara in Narok, and Taita Taveta,” Hersi said.
Currently, Moi International Airport is receiving 14 scheduled Dreamliner operated by Ethiopian Airlines every week, whereas Discover Airlines by Lufthansa operates five flights a week directly to the region.
"It's not just about Mombasa; the open sky policy is just an enabler, and our national carrier and local carriers will not be poorer," Hersi said.
He said that the increase in local flights to and from Mombasa indicates a boom in tourism for the region.
The national carrier Kenya Airways is currently handling between nine and 12 flights a day between Nairobi and Mombasa.
Jambo Jet is doing nine flights a day between Mombasa and Nairobi, about four flights a day between Nairobi and Diani, and five flights a day between Nairobi and Malindi.
It is also operating one flight a day from Nairobi to Lamu.
He said Safari Link and Skywards are also doing several local flights between Nairobi and the coastal towns of Mombasa, Kwale, Malindi, and Lamu.
The port of Mombasa is also expected to welcome one of the largest cruise ships with over 2,500 passengers plus crew by the end of January.
On December 28, the port received yet another cruise liner, the MS Bollete, with 900 passengers and 659 crew members.
Operated by Fred Oisen Cruise Line, the luxurious passenger ship with an overall length of 238 meters and a draft of 8 meters was on her maiden call from the Seychelles, which was given as her last port of call.
The vessel was in Mombasa for two days, where the guests got to tour historical and tourist sites in Mombasa while others went on safari to Tsavo and Amboseli national parks.
MS Bolette was the sixth cruise vessel to call at the Port of Mombasa, which has experienced a boom in cruise tourism since the start of the last season.
Cruise tourism industry players have indicated that more cruise calls are expected before the end of the season in April this year.