Holidays to Kenya going ahead despite unrest

Flights to Kenya are being operated as normal by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic despite the unrest in the popular beach and safari holiday destination.

Holidays to Kenya also seem to have been unaffected so far. A spokesperson for one of the tour operators which offers holidays to Kenya, Kuoni, said: “We have cancelled excursions into Nairobi and Mombasa but all the safaris are going ahead as normal”.

Kenya Airways has suspended all internal flights between Kisumu and Nairobi, but other airlines are still operating flights on this route. There are reports of food and petrol shortages in Kenya and there is also a news blackout in the country.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued this advice: “We advise against all but essential travel to the urban centres of Kisumu, Kakamega, Kericho, Eldoret; to the Kisauni, Likoni and Tiwi areas around Mombasa; and to rural areas between Nakuru and Eldoret and around Kericho in the Rift Valley. We also advise against all but essential travel to Nairobi city centre, Uhuru Park and the Kibera, Mathare, and Eastleigh areas of Nairobi”.

The FCO advice continues: “We recommend that you stay indoors. If you need to travel, including to an airport, you should exercise extreme caution and seek advice locally either from your tour operator or the local Kenyan authorities”.

According to the Kenya Tourist Board around 290,000 holidaymakers from Britain visit Kenya each year. There are thought to be about 7,000 British tourists currently in Kenya, but the FCO says there could be up to 30,000 including expats in the country at any one time.

The FCO cautions that “There is a high threat from terrorism in Kenya”. Previous attacks have included a bomb attack on a hotel, and an unsuccessful attempt to bring down an airliner in Mombasa. The FCO is also urging travellers to Kenya to obtain comprehensive travel insurance and to check any exclusions carefully.

Written by: Nick Purdom