Ironically, Italians in Venice are up in arms against too many tourists. In Japan, there are restrictions on visiting Mt Fuji or Fuji-San. In Kenya, we are struggling to hit five million tourists a year.
Venice gets only 20 million visitors annually, while Fuji receives up to five million. Why can’t we have such attractions? Why are we so obsessed with the Big Five? What are the "Small Five", and what can be our Venice and Mt Fuji? Mombasa, Malindi, and Lamu could be our Venice without canals. Their greatness would come from water just like Venice.
Hamburg in Germany too has canals. Truth be told, beyond walking on the beach, the three towns have no fascination with water. Why are there no cruise ships from Mombasa to these ports? Why none to Pemba, Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam? Suppose you have taken a ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar or from Luanda K’Atieno Beach to Mbita on Lake Victoria.
In that case, you know what fascination with water is all about. Dhows have sailed from the Middle East and India using monsoons for centuries, so why can’t I take a ship or a boat from Mombasa to other towns? Do you find it odd driving from Mombasa to Lamu or Malindi? Why are there no cruise ships along the Indian Ocean? Why do Kenyans show off taking cruises in the Caribbean yet we have a coastline? Why can’t I visit all the ports on Lake Victoria on a luxury ferry? And isn't it odd that one would drive around Lake Naivasha? Venice is about its man-built canals, we do not have .
