COSTA CRUISES SET TO LEAVE VANILLA ISLAND ROUTES IN MARCH 2020
(Posted 17th December 2019)
Costa Cruises will at the end of the current cruise season pull their itinerary across the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands once all prebooked cruises are completed. Little information is available what prompted the withdrawal after the Vanilla Island members had lobbied hard for international cruise lines to return to the Indian Ocean a few years ago.
While tourism officials across the islands are playing down the impact this will have on visitor numbers and revenues are sections of the private sector dealing directly with cruise ship arrivals like taxi operators, tour operators, restaurants, shops and attractions visited where entrance fees are paid having different feelings about development.
https://atcnews.org/2019/12/15/mombasas-new-cruise-terminal-ready-for-handover-and-official-opening/
This development might also affect the port of Mombasa, where a brand new cruise terminal is now ready to receive cruise ships, many of which ply the waters of the Indian Ocean, visit the island and then make a port call on the African mainland and in particular the port of Mombasa, where their passengers enjoy trips to the country’s famous safari parks like Tsavo, Amboseli and even the Masai Mara, which can be reached by air.
