Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently announced a range of new incentives to encourage tourism in Kenya.
As part of the $11.7 million Charter Incentive Scheme, charter airlines which travel to the coastal cities of Mombasa and Malindi will now be able to land without any cost. The ministry will also subsidise every passenger brought to the region by $30. The scheme will continue until 30 June 2018.
Tourist fees have been revised as the tourism ministry builds on last year’s e-visa process announcement, by eliminating the $50 fee for visa applications of children under 16 from 1 February. Additionally, the original Kenya Wildlife Service park fees of $90 will be reduced and capped at $60, with a complete removal of VAT charges on national park fees.
Kenyatta also announced a number of coast infrastructure improvements that will ease travel to and around the Kenyan coast. These improvements include the expansion of JKIA and Malindi airports to handle greater numbers of visitors, and the construction of the Port-Reitz Mombasa Road and the Dongo-Kundu Bypass that will allow tourists to travel to the South Coast (Diani) without using the ferry.