Kenya package holiday ban remains in place

The temporary travel ban on UK package tours to Kenya has been extended at least until Tuesday, according to the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO).

The Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to Kenya since violence erupted in response to presidential election disputes. Anyone in areas affected by violence, such as Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret, are advised to stay indoors and to "exercise extreme caution."

Since the weekend, around 1,000 people flew back to the UK after their Kenyan holiday was scheduled to end. The other 2,000 remaining in the country will fly back on schedule, according to the FTO. British Airways, Kenya Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been running their UK-Kenya routes on a normal schedule.

FTO spokesman Graham Lancaster said the FTO will decide on Tuesday whether the next set of package tour Kenya departures, planned for Thursday, will be allowed to go forward.

"So we've decided to delay the decision until Tuesday because it seems to be a very fluid situation and we want to leave it as long as is prudent to see what happens," Lancaster said.

The violence has not affected the popular tourist spots, such as beaches and safari parks, but tourists often have to travel through the currently afflicted urban areas to reach these destinations.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown encouraged President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to proceed "urgently" to mediation talks under the guidance of John Kufour, chairman of the African Union. Kufour is scheduled to arrive in Nairobi on Tuesday.


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Zoe Westof Editorial


07/01/2008



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