'Ke Yans Don't Know Wh T a Beautiful Try They Have'

SUNDAY NATION lOINa News May 25,20 14 NEW TS 1 Kenya Tourism Board reaches out to South Africa, India, China, Uganda and Tanzania for tourists 'Ke yans don't know 47,398 The number of Ugandan tourists who wh t a beautiful visited Kenya last year. try they have' BY MIKE SSEGAWA enjoyed swimming at the grand mssegawatOJug.nationmedia.com Swahili Beach. Cowardly attacks Monitor would not stop me from visiting t is 1.15pm, and before I have the Mara, the beautiful beaches publicatio my sumptuous lunch at the in Diani, and enjoying swimming, I Sarovo Whitesands Beach scuba cUving and watching dol jom11alist Resort and Spa in Mombasa, I phins in the IncUan Ocean at the tours the decide to put down a few thoughts reef near Wasini Island. of my six-day visit to three differ Now at the mainland in Mom Mara ent parts of Kenya with a Ugandan bass, I cannot in1agine fear would and the delegation. deny m e such an experience. "This is a beautiful coun And forgive my language, only beautiful try;• 1 remember my colleague stupid Kenyans could collaborate Edgar Batte saying earlier. Abu or allow foreigners to deny them sandy Mwesigwa had chimed in: "Un to enjoy this immensely endowed beaches at fortunately, some Kenyans don't country. know what they have and that is On Saturday, together with EDGAR BATTE I NATION the Coast why they let outsiders disrupt six colleagues from Uganda, we Monitor publications Features Editor Mike Ssegawa at the Marine Park in their peace.'' spent a night at Stanley. The at Wasini, South Coast. Here were Ugandans enjoying tention to detail of the staff was what Cod gifted Kenya. my highlight. the airport. The hotel can eas tives. Down in the reef we saw This was a dream holiday com I was in a beautiful room facing ily be mistaken for a traditional all kinds of fish, and the corals ing true. However, I could have Kimathl Street. I later ventured structure plucked out of the 18th which are soft unlike the rocky freaked out had I been faint into the night, starting out at century Arabic-clUn-IncUan epoch. ones on the mainland. Ms Kanini hearted. A day before my flight Mojos and Tribeka, just opposite The rooms give a feel of the life could only ask, ''do you see what from Kampala last Saturday, a Nation Centre. I later relocated of sultans of yesteryears and the Ugandans who end their trips in bomb had gone off in Nairobi. to Club Rumours on Tom Mboya swimming pool stretches down Mombasa miss?" She was right. A few days earlier, British Street. It was full-house Ln the Africans as the continent's top to the beach. As the sun went down, we tour firms had evacuated their entertainment spots as Arsenal visitors to Kenya with Nigeri On our fourth day, we drove rushed back to Shimoni, but not clients fearing for their safety fans celebrated their first trophy ans coming second. Last year, 70km south, stopping at Shimoni before visiting Wasini Island. We after some Western govern in nine years. Ugandan tourists arrivmg by air in Kwale County. Here, we passed walked through the coral park that ments issued travel advisories, We danced to local music, and numbered 47,398, South African the slave caves, and boarded the is under the care of a women's especially against travelling to ~gandan artistes like Jose Cha were 36,409 and Tanzanians were Dolphin Dhow. We headed into the group on the island, where a the Kenyan Coast. meleone, RacUo and Weasal also 28,561. Ms Ann Kanini, the pub ocean, towards Wasini Islands, a wood bridge stretches through It is so'me of these places that played through the night. I walked lic relations officer for KTB says land of3,500 residents. The island the mangrove forest and connects I was due to visit on invitation of back to my hotel room at 3.20am they have rolled out marketing sits on a coral reef with mangrove two villages. We were warned not the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), and slept for two and half hours programmes in Uganda, South trees as vegetation. to walk barefoot on the island be who are now looking to Uganda before I was woken up to catch a Africa, Nigeria, China and India In the middle of nowhere, we cause the corals were acidic. to boost the number of foreign flight at Wilson Airport. because those markets are "less saw light blue water and our guide, At Shimoni, as darkness tourists. Our flight on a Safarilink plane sensitive" and can take advantage Hamis Ali - a young man who approached, we entered the On May 17, I boarded a Kenya to the Mara was filled with for of the low seasons to enjoy Ken speaks Arabic, German, French historical slave caves from Airways flight from Entebbe and eigners. A few Europeans I spoke ya's wonders. and Spanish in adcUtion to English where those captured from the landed at Nairobi's ]omo Kenyatta to dismissed the travel advisories "Most Ugandans who come to and Kiswahili and his local Digo hinterland, as far as Uganda, International Airport after a 50- and said they were having fun in Kenya for honeymoon or holidays language-told us we could swim. were detained in a warehouse minute journey. Kenya. largely go to the beach," says Ms "What?" I asked. Here, he said, and shipped to faraway lands. The Immigration officer al Kanin:i. are beaches in the middle of the That broke down my spirit but lowed me a six-month stay in Sundowner in the wild Now Kenya wants to increase sea because of the coral reef that 1 appreciated it as part of East Kenya despite my telling him that Kenyans have heard so much awareness of more destinations rises and it is gifted with sands Africa's history. I was spending only sbc days. about the Mara and I am the they can visit such as the ma like you find on the main beach. We later returned to Mombasa. During my stay, I have spent wrong person to talk about it. But rine parks in Wasini, the luxury As we swam on a reef in the Indian As I signed out on Friday, the nights in four hotels: Stanley in it's good to note the sundowner beaches in the South Coast, Na Ocean, we could see the Tanzania front desk manager at Sarova Nairobi, Sarova Mara in Maasai in the park, dinner in the wild in kuru, Naivasha, and parks like mainland in the distance. Not far Whitesands told m e that many Mara Game Reserve. Swahili the dark night, the tent band as at the Mara. from where we were swimming, Ugandans have spent nights at Beach in Diani, South Coast the Sarova Mara Lodge, and the "Cooperation between Uganda we saw three pairs of magnificent the hotel. and the Whitesands from where animals that were kind enough and Kenya is picking up well and dolphins. "And they know how to spend I am working now. From the four to come out to be seen. in the last two years, Kenya has Our guide told us that the Digo, their money;' Jayne said. hotels, Whitesands seems to have Uganda is increasingly becom engaged more than 10 key tour the small tribe on the island, look Ms Kanini only wishes Ugan the highest number of guests, ing Kenya's friend in deed. Even operators from Uganda.'' Ms after' the dolphins. "We don't swim dans who come for wedding and and guess what, the majority as the tourist industry is getting Kanin.i says. with dolphins but dolphins are al honeymoons at the Whitesands are Africans. a beating from travel advisories Kenya wants Ugandans to visit lowed to swim with us," he said. venture into places like Wasini and The friend who had warned me and terrorism tJueats, Ugandans more than the regular sites. When It Is here In the middle of experience the marine parks. on Facebook about travelling to have not stopped visiting. I arrived at the Coast through nowhere - but feeling like I am With my flight only two hours Kenya would certainly have been In fact, more are arriving, not Ukunda airport, a· flight that living in paradise - that I looked away, I tell my friend on Facebook, put to shame by the number of for business or jobs but for holi took one hour and 20 minutes around and the only Kenyans on "What travel advisories were you visitors. days. According to KTB statistics, (rom Nairobi, we checked into board were the dhow captain, our talking about?" He bad seen my photos as I Ugandans have overtaken South the Swahili Beach Hotel near two guides and KTB represents- EDGA~SAITE I DAILY NAliON CRUCIAL INDUSTRY The writer and his colleagues swim in the Indian Ocean. Boost for tourism Right: Giraffes at the Maasai Mara. From June 12. companies Somali militants AI-Shabaab would be allowed to pay for Last week, British tour firms their employees going on evacuated more than 300 their annual leave and deduct visitors from Kenya following such expenses in their taxes a warning by the UK govern The move Is aimed at boost ment of impending terror ing the tourism sector, • attack which is under threat due to This has led to losses increase in terror attacks by .

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