The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has announced plans to introduce cruise tourism in Lake Victoria to open up the untapped Western tourism circuit.
KTB Board Member Victor Shitakha said the state agency was scouting for partners to invest in cruise ships on Lake Victoria, with its introduction set to woo visitors to the Western Kenya region.
This, he said, was part of KTB’s masterplan to open up new tourism routes where visitors can sample some of the best attraction sites which have not been adequately exploited.
Once operational, he said visitors will be able to sample various historical sites, culture, and birds, among other attractions, while boarding cruise ships to sample more sites in the counties sharing Lake Victoria and the neighbouring countries of Uganda and Tanzania.
Lake Victoria, he said, has a lot of potential, with the main ports of Kisumu (Kenya), Mwanza, Musoma, Bukoba (Tanzania), Entebbe, Port Bell, and Jinja (Uganda) set to be a beehive of activities once cruise tourism is introduced.
“Kenya has always been sold as a beach and safari destination, yet there is so much more to offer. We are now shifting focus and saying, Let us go to other parts of the country,” he said.
“With the cruise ships in place, visitors can come to Kisumu to sample what this region has to offer, then board a ship to Mwanza, Jinja, or Entebbe,” he added.
Shitakha said business was viable, adding that KTB was engaging a number of investors to ensure that the project takes off.
“This is not a cheap project, but we are asking the investors not to think so much about the cost but to look at the lake and the huge potential it holds,” he said.
On the timelines of the project, Shitakha said the board was positive to have an investor in place before the end of next year.
He said KTB was banking on cruise tourism to increase the number of tourists visiting the country, which has increased steadily from 1.9 million in 2022 to 2.2 million in 2023.
Speaking during the Western Kenya Hospitality Leadership Retreat in Kisumu, Shitakha said the state agency projects to record 3.3 million visitors this year, with the figure expected to rise further with the promotion of cruise tourism.
Lake Victoria Tourism Association Chairman Robinson Anyal said the support from KTB and other government agencies has seen the western tourism circuit record tremendous growth.
Bed capacity in Kisumu, which is the region’s capital, has increased from 1,500 in 2014 to 10,000 in 2024, with additional facilities coming up.
The growth, he added, has been replicated in all 14 counties covered by the association.
With the introduction of cruise ships and better connectivity with the neighbouring countries, the sector, he said, was set to grow further.
Anyal urged the Tourism Regulatory Authority to move with speed and rate the new hotels that have come up so as to meet the needs of visitors.
“The last rating was done in 2015, and since then a lot of new hotels have come up but have not been rated,” he said.
The conference brought together over 70 General Managers from different hotels in the region to brainstorm on how to steer the sector.
By Chris Mahandara
