It is a rare thing for a U.S. Ambassador to write an open letter to travelers urging them to consider visiting a country, but that is what the US ambassador to Kenya, Michael E.Ranneberger did this week. In light of the unrest Kenya and the resulting drop in tourism to the country Ranneberger’s remarks should be seen as a green light to travel to that country again.

I urge you to look again at Kenya as an exciting destination for tourism and for doing business, be it trade or investment. In 2007, a record 102,000 Americans visited Kenya, many to enjoy the richness of the country’s culture and the majesty of its landscapes and unparalleled wildlife.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Pirates are not just featured in Johnny Depp movies these days, nor is high tech piracy limited to software. There really are still pirates some places in the world where real life pirates reside.

From the Independent:

A luxury three-masted cruise ship seized off the Gulf of Aden last week is in the hands of the Somali “marines”, a loose network of fishermen-turned-pirates armed with satellite telephones and hand-held missiles.

The “marines”, to paraphrase the words of The Pirates of Penzance, are the very model of a modern pirate enterprise. They use converted fishing vessels as “mother ships”, from which small boats are directed by satellite telephone to menace targets.

They are believed by Somali and international officials to be responsible for many of the estimated 150 attacks on ships off the Horn of Africa last year. Captured ships and their crews are then ransomed back to their owners. Contacts are in progress between the French owner of the 88-metre yacht Le Ponant, seized last Friday and representatives of the pirates. The French government has refused to rule out the payment of a ransom for the vessel and its mostly French crew of 30. On past experience, officials warn, the negotiations are likely to take several weeks.

In more positive news, piracy seems to be on the decrease off the coast of Malaysia because of patrols from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Tourists with plans to go to Kenya can and should reconsider them with stories like this one from Reuter’s Africa coming out of Kenya:

Tourists arriving in Mombasa on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast were expecting to find the usual colourful fruit and vegetable markets lining the streets.

Instead, they found angry supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga roaming the road from the airport, which was littered with broken glass and burning tyres.

President Mwai Kibaki’s disputed election victory on Sunday triggered a wave of tribal clashes in one of Africa’s most stable democracies that shocked the world.

By Tuesday, about 250 people had died.

The Kenya tourism industry is saying that the cause for alarm is premature.

“We have not seen any tourists leaving, cancel or even heard of evacuations. Those reported to be leaving are tourists going home their holiday having come to an end,” Mr Mohammed Hersi the general manager of Sarova Whitesands and head of Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) Coast branch told Business Daily on phone.

But already stories are coming out of countries like Great Britain that tourists should hold off going to Kenya at least for a few days.

The Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) has responded by suspending holidays to Kenya up to and including Saturday, January 5. Customers due to travel in the next few days should contact their travel agent or tour operator. Those due to travel after January 5 will be notified of any changes to their travel plans, according to the FTO.

What will happen in the long term is anyone’s guess at this time, but I suspect that people who are spending thousands of dollars for a once in a life trip to Africa will decide they would be just as happy in some other country like Tanzania if the situation in Kenya does not settle down quickly. This is bad news for Kenya that makes $500 million a year from tourism and is losing money at the rate of $1 million dollars a day. In a region where a school teacher might make $3 a day, that is a major problem.

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There is new information coming in on this story (March 23, 2008):

US Amends Kenyan Travel Warning

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States has amended a travel advisory cautioning against travel to parts of Kenya, saying threats of violence have “dramatically receded” following a political power-sharing deal.
A deeply flawed Dec. 27 presidential election unleashed weeks of violence that killed more than 1,000 people and tarnished Kenya’s reputation as one of Africa’s most stable and tourist-friendly countries. After weeks of bloodshed and mounting international pressure, President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga agreed last month to share power.

Popularity: 32% [?]