Pegas Touristik is not changing plans for Kenya

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is advising citizens in general and tourists in particular to think twice before making a trip to Kenya. According to the official information, 2 terrorist attacks have been committed in the city of Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on the 24th of October. Several people got killed and wounded.

The explosives went off only a week after the authorities of Kenya and Somali started an anti-terrorist operation against a group called “Ash-Shabab” in the south of Somali. Several cases of kidnapping have been registered in September-October. Foreigners and employees of international companies have been chosen as the targets. The police managed to find out that “Ash-Shabab” guerillas were responsible for the crimes.

Meanwhile, a “Pegas Touristik” program to the Mombasa International Airport is about to start on the 4th of October. People, who are planning a safari, travel to Nairobi, whereas tourists, who want to enjoy the Indian Ocean, fly to Mombasa. The program will go as planned till the middle of April, there will be no changes, - says Anna Podgornaya, the company’s general manager. The flights will not be canceled. Once every 11 days a Boeing 767 (288 seats), that belongs to an operator’s own airline “Nord Wind”, will be taking passengers to Mombasa.

 “The first flight is sold out, and there are no cancellations regardless of MFA and RosTourism warnings. People understand that Mombasa is rather far from the city of Nairobi or Somali borders – says Mrs. Podgornaya in an interview to RATA-news. – Our estimates about the destination’s prospects have been correct so far. Tourists are attracted by wonderful beaches and scenic nature. Plus the price tag is reasonable and there’s no need for a visa”.

A direct charter flight to Mombasa will really help people to travel to Kenya. Today in order to fly to Kenya you’d have to use British Airways, Swiss, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Kenya Airways. The price is a factor, of course: coach tickets start at $1000. There are other ways to fly to Kenya, but they all include a transfer in Mauritius, Johannesburg or Nairobi.

Russian tourists are new to Kenya, compared to European visitors, given that the country was a British colony until 1963. But the dynamic is very positive. According to Kenya’s Department of Tourism, the flow of Russian tourists almost doubled in the last 4 years (from 3k to 5.6k). In the past 7 months 3.3 thousand Russians have visited Kenya, which is 50% more than a year before. Kenyan authorities expect the “Pegas Touristik” program to double the flow of Russian tourists.

By the way, during a recent workshop, Kenyan tourism office representatives stated that “Pegas” is not the only operator to introduce an African charter route. Another five companies are planning to “head south” as well.