The increase in travel advisories on Kenya has caused disquiet within the tourism industry, with frustration rising over the perceived eagerness with which the West tends to slap down travel advisories at any sign of trouble in the region.

While key players insist that safety is crucial, they point out that restricting freedom of movement due to an isolated act can affect an entire country’s tourist industry — and have a disproportionate effect on the economy of a developing nation.

“We are worried about the influence of some advisories, especially those issued by the United States...we are afraid that it may then influence those from other countries and deter them from visiting Kenya,” said a Kenyan stakeholder.

The travel advisory warning US citizens against visiting Kenya’s coastal towns and tourism hub of Mombasa, among other areas, is reported to be affecting Tanzania as well.

According to the Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, Leopold Kabendera, most foreigners believe is a single state. And when US warns of terror attacks in Mombasa, tourists assume Tanzania is also not safe.

“And, especially because Mombasa is near and shares the same ‘East African’ vicinity tag, the advisory will badly hit the tourism season in Tanzania,” Kabendera, who is also the vice-chairman of the Confederation of the Tourism Industry in Tanzania said after the ban last month.

The Principal Tourism Officer with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, Asantael Melita, also expressed concern regarding travel advisories issued by overseas countries or their related embassies without taking into consideration how harmful they can be to local countries’ economies.

On-and-off

In the last two months, the US has engaged in an on-and-off release of travel advisory to its citizens visiting Kenya in a move that has confounded many, with critics terming the Americans as playing “power games with Kenya.”

After lifting the travel ban for US Embassy and associated organisations staff to Mombasa, which it had imposed on June 23, US declared Kenya’s North Eastern Province off limits under a similar ban on Monday.

The US said all its government travel to Mombasa was suspended until July 1. France’s embassy in Nairobi also warned its citizens to be “extremely vigilant” in Mombasa and surrounding areas.

The initial ban to Mombasa had caused outrage within Government circles over both content and the devious manner in which the prohibition orders were announced, with Acting Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia terming the advisory an act of “economic sabotage.

Affected areas

In declaring North Eastern off limits, US government employees, contractors, grantees and their dependents are prohibited from traveling to the province, including towns of Wajir, Garissa, Mandera and Liboi. Also included in the ban are areas from Lamu’s Pate Island to Kiwayu and also areas of Moyale and Isiolo, which are described as ‘unsafe from time to time’.

Kenya’s tourism sector has been on a solid growth path with last year’s earnings rising to Sh97.9 billion from Sh73.7 billion in 2010. International visitor arrivals also increased by 13.3 per cent.

Business conference, a new area that the Ministry of Tourism recently embarked on marketing, also witnessed growth, according to Economic Survey 2012, which also showed an increase in bed-night occupancy.

Data from the Ministry of Tourism indicates that 549,083 tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of last year, surpassing previous high hit in 2010 by 13.6 per cent. Visitors from Britain led the way accounting for 14.3 per cent of arrivals, followed by the United States on 9.3 per cent, and then Italy, Germany and India.

While welcoming the decision by the US to lift the travel advisory it had imposed on the Coast, last week, Hoteliers at the Coast urged the US to consult with the security organs in Kenya before issuing such bans to avoid creating unnecessary tension.

“We do know there are problems but there are better ways to deal with them. But all is well that ends well,” said Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi.