NAIROBI - The number of tourists visiting the popular Kenyan resort of Mombasa by cruise ship has dropped by 95 percent in the first part of this year. Experts say piracy off the coast of neighboring Somalia is to blame for the decline, which is threatening to slow the tourist sector's recovery from the country's 2008 post-election violence.

The Kenyan Tourist Board says the number of visitors arriving in Mombasa on cruise ships between January and April declined from 11,000 people last year to just over 500 this year.

Speaking to VOA, Mombasa and Coast Tourism Association Vice Chairman Mohammed Hersi says the impact will be felt right across the country's tourist industry.

"What happens is when you pull into the port of Mombasa, one, you tour the city, and secondly you venture out into the hotels to get a change of scene," Hersi said. "Then, most importantly for us, they normally visit the national parks, they fly to Masai Mara, and flying to Masai Mara is not cheap."

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