Kenya tourism in turmoil amid terror warnings

Associated Press - British tourists queue with their luggage to leave by charter flight from the international airport in Mombasa, Kenya Friday, May 16, 2014. Britain’s government warned its citizens this week to avoid the coastal city of Mombasa and beach towns nearby, prompting a travel company to cut short the vacations of hundreds of British citizens and fly them home, while Kenya’s National Disaster Operation Centre says that two explosions in Nairobi have killed at least four people Friday with one blast targeting a mini-van that Kenyans use for public transportation and a second blast went off in a market. 

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, May 20, 7:18 AM

KAMPALA, Uganda — Mombasa and its sandy white coastline beckon vacationers, but on a recent day Harold Kampala watched helplessly as more than 100 guests checked out of his hotel, heeding a British government warning that the coastal region should be avoided because of fears that a terrorist attack might be imminent.

The alert from Britain and similar warnings from the U.S., France and Australia are impacting Kenya’s tourism industry, with the possibility of layoffs looming. Tourism creates about 10 percent of the country’s jobs, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

More than 900 tourists have cut short their vacations since the warning was issued on May 14 by Britain, according to the Kenya Association of Hotel keepers and Caterers. TUI Travel, a major British leisure travel group, even took the step of cancelling all its flights to Mombasa until October.