Africa’s travel recovery will be fueled by substantial pent-up demand, according to the “Africa Travel Recovery, Opportunity & Risks Research Brief”, by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, written exclusively for Africa Travel Week (ATW).

Lockdown restrictions have suppressed a significant amount of demand, especially for leisure travel, and the easing of restrictions and continued vaccine progress will be essential to realise this latent travel demand, the report states.

While a more youthful population has minimised the impact of the health crisis in Africa, there are concerns regarding the region’s access to vaccines. However, the COVAX initiative has helped alleviate these anxieties by providing and campaigning for a more equitable distribution of vaccines.

While we wait for a return of international visitor arrivals, stymied by renewed coronavirus outbreaks and the emergence of 501Y.V2, first reported in South Africa, a strong domestic market and an uplift in short-haul travel will support the travel industry in the near-term, adds the report.

According to the report, domestic travel is set to account for 73% of total arrivals in 2021 – up from 55% in 2019. Reduced travel appetite for far-away travel will increase the short-haul share of international arrivals in 2021 to support markets which have been traditionally more dependent on longer-haul markets.

Lastly, continued infrastructure improvements, targeted tourism support and concentrated digital marketing campaigns could help stimulate future tourism growth. Infrastructure improvements and better use of digital platforms could help increase destination competitiveness. This could add to lingering demand for less-crowded destinations with outdoor activities and attractions, which will also be fuelled by a rise in more sustainable travel.

“While we grapple with the ever-changing environment, this Tourism Economics Report, compiled exclusively for Africa Travel Week, shines a positive spotlight on the potential for tourism to Africa. Our role as Africa Travel Week is to keep the interest in travel to Africa burning by providing a dynamic platform for stakeholders to reconnect as we work together at Making Travel Happen Again,” says Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism and Creative Industries at Reed Exhibitions Africa.

Source: Travel Daily News

Namibia will host the United Nations World Tourism Organization Regional Conference on Strengthening Brand Africa for the Swift Recovery of the Tourism Sector from the 14 to 16 June in Windhoek.

The United Nations World Tourism Regional Director for Africa, Ms. Elcia Grandcourt, has been present in Namibia this past week undertaking a planning mission for the Conference, the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Forestry, Pohamba Shifeta said on Thursday.

Shifeta said it is expected that approximately 100 to 150 people will participate at the conference, mainly representatives from national tourism and destination management organizations, officials from ministries responsible for tourism from African countries as well as representatives of Micro and SMEs.

The conference will be attended by the Secretary General of the UNWTO and it is anticipated that several ministers responsible for tourism from various African countries will also attend the Conference.

“It is well known that the tourism sector has been one of the most hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic at the national and regional level. The closure of borders and cross border restrictions on travel over the past year or so has had a terrible impact on direct and indirect beneficiaries of the tourism sector such as hotels, communal conservancies, travel agents, airlines, vehicle rental companies, tour operators, hunting operators as well as restaurants and entertainment facilities targeting tourists. In Namibia alone, we have seen a reduction of approximately 90% in visitors to our top tourism attractions such as Sossusvlei and Etosha National Park” he said.

Shifeta said the theme of the conference; ‘Strengthening Brand Africa for the Swift Recovery of the Tourism Sector’, is fully in line with the International Tourism Revival Initiative announced by HE President, Dr. Hage Geingob in June 2020 and will represent another important step in reviving the sector here at home and more broadly at the continental level.

The conference will focus on national and regional branding to enhance the image of Africa as a tourist destination and for enhancing the digital marketing skills of micro and small and medium tourism enterprises, particularly here in Namibia, Shifeta said.

“All too often we see the image of Africa portrayed in a negative light in the media, we are painted as the continent that is home to wars, poverty and forced emigration. This conference will play an important part in positioning Africa as a tourism destination of choice based on its rich cultures, spectacular scenery and wildlife as well as other attractions. This repositioning will assist the Continent as the tourism sector reopens and recovers from the impacts of the pandemic,” he added.

Furthermore he said the conference will play a direct role in empowering and improving the marketing skills of micro and small and medium enterprises operating in the tourism sector, particularly here in Namibia.

The conference is being hosted by the ministry in collaboration with Namibia Tourism Board.

Source: Namibia Economist

Kenya has suspended flights to and from Somalia, just days after the countries restored diplomatic ties after a five-month break.  

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority sent a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) stating that all flights between the two countries are suspended except medivac and United Nations humanitarian flights, according to a Somali official who did not want to be identified because he is not allowed to speak to media.  

The suspension is effective May 11 until at least August 9.  

VOA Somali service has seen KCAA’s notice, issued on May 10, which confirms suspension of flights. 

KCAA has not yet announced the reason for the suspension, but it comes a day after Somalia issued a notice reaffirming an earlier ban on flights carrying khat, also known as mirra, from Kenya.  

“Carrying Mirra to Somalia is still prohibited and the policy of the Federal Government of Somalia did not change regarding the transportation of Miraa to Somalia airports,” read a statement sent to airline operators by the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) on May 9.  “Transporting Mirra without clearance from SCAA will be considered an unlawful act and violation of Somali airspace,” the notice added. 

Khat is a green narcotic stimulant grown in Kenya that is widely used in Somalia.  

Kenya’s suspension of flights downgrades relations that seemed to be on the upswing.  Just last week, Somalia announced it was restoring diplomatic ties with Kenya after mediation by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.  

In December 2020, Somalia had cut diplomatic ties with Kenya, alleging constant violations of Somalia’s sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.  Kenya denied the accusations.  The countries also have an ongoing maritime boundary dispute over who controls Indian Ocean waters believed to contain large deposits of oil and natural gas. 

Kenya Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautiously welcomed the restoration of ties and said it was looking forward to normalizing relations in terms of trade, communication, transportation, people to people relations and cultural exchanges. 

Somali authorities initially suspended of all international flights in March 2020 after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the country. The suspension on international flights was lifted in August but a ban on khat flights remained in place.  Officials in Somalia insisted the reason for maintaining the suspension is to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. 

However, last year Somalia started allowing flights from Ethiopia to transport khat. At least four flights carrying Khat arrive in Somalia daily from the eastern Ethiopia city of Dire Dawa, according to traders. 

The khat business has been lucrative for Kenya farmers. Before the suspension, as many as 15 Kenya flights carrying the narcotic stimulant used to make deliveries in several regions in Somalia per day. The continued suspension denies Kenya farmers millions of dollars in earnings from business with Somalia. 

Somalia activists are pressuring the federal government not to lift ban Khat as they argue the stimulant is associated with poor health and loss of hard currency.

Source: VOA News

The government will now require all travelers from the UK to have a valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate, a Covid-19 negative PCR test and must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.

In a statement, the government said all passenger flights, whether commercial or charter, between Kenya and the UK will be suspended.

The suspension will be reviewed by the Government of Kenya within four weeks.

“All UK citizens and residents travelling to Kenya from the UK via any route who have a valid Covid-19 PCR test, but do not have a valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate, will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine on arrival at a Government of Kenya facility at their own cost. All travellers under the age of 18 will only require a certificate of Covid-19 negative PCR test to enter Kenya,” the statement added.

At the same time, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said those traveling from Brunei, Thailand, Kuwait, Czech Republic and Pakistan should be in possession of a negative PCR-based Covid-19 test result conducted within 96 hours before travel and not display any flu-like symptoms upon arrival.

“They should provide evidence of their booking for the quarantine locations 24 hours before boarding,” it added.

Last month, UK banned passengers travelling from Kenya from entering the European country starting April 9 to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Kenya was among four counties that have been added to UK’s red list amid concerns about new Covid-19 variants.

In retaliation, Kenya suspended flights between the two countries and banned all flights from the UK, effective April 9, in response to London’s move to bar Kenyans from its territory over the spike in Covid-19 cases.

The tiff between the two countries began after the UK added Kenya to its ‘red list’ amid concerns about new Covid-19 variants, and banned passengers from Nairobi.

“Of the average 550 people that travel from Kenya to the UK each week, a significant number are testing positive on Day 2. Nearly a third of those testing positive have been carrying the B 1.352 variant which originated from South Africa,” the British High Commission said in a statement then.

Following this, London stated that only British, Irish and third-world country nationals with residence rights in the UK will be allowed. Nairobi termed the announcement a “regrettable decision”.

“The decision will have deep and far-reaching consequences on the Kenya-United Kingdom trade, travel, tourism, security cooperation among other sectors,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

And as a compromise, the UK had proposed to Kenya to implement rapid testing at airports to weed out fake or invalid travel certificates.

If Nairobi implements this, it could join Ghana which already tests passengers at airports with spot results at a cost of about Sh2,500 ($25) per person. But implementing the system could take at least a month, and its viability has yet to be discussed by the Kenyan government.

Kenya is not yet giving Covid-19 certificates, but recipients have been receiving text messages notifying them on the next date of vaccination, and batch number they have been vaccinated with.

The UK has issued vaccination cards to recipients. But the targeted group includes people who are 50 and above, health and social workers, vulnerable groups and those with disabilities.

The vaccination card indicates the type of vaccine a person has been inoculated with. Pilots and crew have not been listed as essential groups to receive the vaccine, nor the certificates.

Officials said the crew may have to wait or try their luck in Kenya.

Source: Nairobi News