MS Nautica, which is operated by a US-based shipping company Oceania Cruises, arrived in Mombasa from Zanzibar on Thursday with 576 tourists and 395 crew members.
In November, MS Nautica brought to Mombasa more than 1,000 visitors and crew while MS Silver Spirit came with more than 800 visitors.
There are signs that it will be a good cruise tourism year for Kenya partly with the arrival of a luxury ship at the port of Mombasa on Thursday carrying 971 passengers and crew.
MS Nautica, which is operated by a US-based shipping company Oceania Cruises, arrived in Mombasa from Zanzibar with 576 tourists and 395 crew members.
The visitors were expected to depart on Thursday evening for Mahe, Seychelles.
In November, MS Nautica brought to Mombasa more than 1,000 visitors and crew while MS Silver Spirit came with more than 800 visitors.
Majority of the international holidaymakers were from the United States and the United Kingdom while others were from Germany, Australia, France, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and South Africa.
Upon arrival, some tourists flew to the famous Amboseli National Park for game drives while others remained on Mombasa Island for sight-seeing.
An American holidaymaker Daniel Dole and his wife Yvette, said they were happy to arrive in Kenya for first time.
The couple headed to Amboseli for game viewing, saying they were keen on lions, elephants, giraffes, leopards and buffaloes.
“For years, we had planned to visit this beautiful country, which is world famous for safari. We can’t wait to get to Amboseli to view wildlife in their natural habitat,” the American tourists explained.
Mr Dole said they would in the near future return for a longer holiday for an opportunity to explore and learn about the local culture.
An Australian couple John Judd and Karan, said it had visited Kenya for game viewing and also for tour of Mombasa city.
“We are excited to come to Mombasa for holiday. We love this beautiful city due to its rich historical culture and welcoming people,” they added.
Mr Judd said they would visit Mombasa’s popular monument Fort Jesus, the Old Town and cultural centres to learn the Swahili culture.
A US couple from New Mexico, Kar Mueller and Marion, noted that they were in Kenya for the second time.
“We first visited Kenya 17 years ago. We are thrilled to be back so that we can see new development, new faces and culture,” the tourists said.
Kenya Tourism Board chief executive Betty Radier in an earlier interview said the arrival of MS Nautica indicated that cruise tourism was recovering after other cruise ships came to Mombasa two months ago.
“It is quite encouraging that we have started the year with the first cruise ship visiting Mombasa. Our efforts of marketing Mombasa in overseas markets is paying off,” she added.
She noted that tourists travelling to the country by sea are big spenders.
Mombasa destination, she added, had gained fame globally due to its beaches, friendly people and tropical weather.
“The tourism hub is also closer to Tsavo East and West National Parks, the Shimba Hills Game Reserve in Kwale and the Arabuko Sokoke Forest in Kilifi, which is popular for bird watching,” she added.
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