Kenya Airways launches direct Juba-Khartoum flights

Kenya Airways (KQ) has started direct flights from South Sudan capital Juba to Khartoum in Sudan as it eyes Africa expansion.

The national carrier said the new flight will originate from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi flying to Khartoum via Juba and back to Nairobi every Wednesday and Sunday.

The airline will also launch another flight from Nairobi to Juba via Khartoum and back to Nairobi on Fridays.

KQ did not indicate how much it will charge passengers on the route, which is also served by carriers such as Somalia-based Jubba Airways.

“Kenya Airways is steadfast on creating free flows of trade and tourism across Africa and in other key markets because we believe our wide network and reliable services will aid in opening up opportunities across the region,” KQ chief executive Allan Kilavuka said in a statement on Friday.

Flights via Juba, on Wednesdays and Sundays, depart Nairobi at 7.40 am to arrive in the South Sudanese capital at 9.25 am, and leave at 10.05 am to get to Khartoum at 11.25 am. The return trip starts at 12.05 pm in Khartoum for Nairobi, arriving at JKIA at 16.10 pm.

The Friday flight via Khartoum leaves Nairobi at 7.40 am to arrive in the Sudan capital at 10.35 am. The flight departs to Juba at 11.15 am, arriving at 13.20 pm. It returns to Nairobi at 2 pm to arrive at 3.45 pm.

“The new service between Juba and Khartoum is timely and gives us an opportunity to serve a range of travellers and grow our customer base in both Sudan and South Sudan,” said Julius Thairu, KQ acting chief commercial officer.

Source: Business Daily

2021 Visa Openness Index calls for easier travel to propel Africa out of Covid-19 slump

Opening up Africa’s borders to travel will drive investment and an economic rebound, according to the authors of the 2021 Africa Visa Openness Index.

Published yearly since 2016, the Index measures African countries’ openness to travellers from elsewhere on the continent. This year’s edition found that the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic substantially impacted free movement. “In this new era of travel, safety and hygiene protocols have become as important as travel documentation and visa formalities,” said the report, jointly released by the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission on Monday, 13 December.

“The evidence is clear: the countries that make it simpler for Africa’s business people, tourists, students, and workers to visit their territories, are the countries that stand to attract more investment and talent. They are the countries whose economies will recover quickly,” said Khaled Sherif, the African Development Bank’s Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.

Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has made one thing very certain: Africa needs to be more self-sufficient. To get there, we need to boost intra-African trade, and that means fewer visa restrictions.”

The 2021 Visa Openness Index also makes a compelling case for streamlining the visa process for young Africans. “All young people need is the freedom to move around the continent and support as they develop into Africa’s entrepreneurs and business leaders,” it stated.

Key findings

The Index shows that 36 countries have improved or maintained their Visa Openness Index score since 2016. Over 80% of the countries that have made gains in openness are low-income or lower-middle-income countries. The report mentioned Namibia, Morocco, and Tunisia as countries that have made the most progress in visa openness.

Overall, Africa is almost evenly split between countries with a liberal visa policy and those that partially restrict entry from other African states. A quarter of African countries welcome some or all African visitors visa-free; another quarter, roughly, permit some or all African visitors to obtain a visa on arrival. Twenty-four countries offer electronic visas, up from 15 five years ago.

The Africa Visa Openness Index aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Protocol on the Free Movement of People and, in particular, advances the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, with a market of 1.3 billion people.

“By supporting the free movement of people, we make it easier for Africans to do business in Africa. Free movement of people, especially workers, could help plug skills gaps, while enabling countries to fix skills mismatches in their labour markets,” said Jean-Guy Afrika, the Officer-In-Charge of the Regional Integration Coordination Office at the African Development Bank.

Click here (https://bit.ly/3EYX3YZ) to download the 2021 Africa Visa Openness Report and find out more.

Source: Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

UK to Lift COVID Travel Ban on 11 African Countries

Britain will end a ban on visitors from 11 African countries aimed at combatting COVID-19, the government said Tuesday, despite an alarming spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

After the variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, the British government compiled a travel “red list” of the 11 African nations later in the month.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced in parliament Tuesday that the ban would be lifted on Wednesday at 0400 GMT since the country had achieved community transmission of omicron.

“Now that there is community transmission of omicron in the U.K. and Omicron has spread so widely across the world, the travel red list is now less effective in slowing the incursion of omicron from abroad,” he said.

While the ban remains in effect, only British citizens or residents arriving from the listed countries are allowed to enter the U.K. on condition they quarantine in a hotel at their expense.

The countries on the list are Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Javid said Monday that omicron, which is more transmissible than earlier variants, would be dominant in London “within 48 hours.” U.K. health authorities say omicron infections are doubling every two to three days, amounting to about 200,000 new cases daily.

South African scientists say the health effects of omicron may be less severe than the delta variant but warn it is premature to reach conclusions.

Source: VOA

Kenya reports first three cases of Omicron variant

Kenya has detected at least three cases of the new Omicron variant first detected in South Africa last month.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday said the cases were detected among travellers.

Last week, Uganda announced it had detected cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in travellers coming into the country, the first infections to be reported in East Africa.

The cases were detected in people screened at Entebbe International Airport who flew in from five different countries, Ugandan medical authorities said in a statement.

Five had come from Nigeria, two from South Africa — where the variant was first reported — and two from the United Arab Emirates. 

On Tuesday, results of a study published in South Africa showed two shots of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine offers around 70 percent protection against severe disease from Omicron.  

The emergence of the highly mutated variant sparked fears that it could cause severe disease, be more contagious or could evade vaccines. 

Early indicators suggest that it could be more transmissible, but promising data so far has suggested that vaccines still offer protection against Omicron. 

“The double dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine showing 70 percent effectiveness in reducing risk of hospitalisation,” said Ryan Noach, the head of South Africa’s leading private health insurance company, Discovery, which co-led the study. 

Two doses of the vaccine offered 93 percent protection against earlier variants, according to the companies.   

The study was based on the results of 78,000 PCR tests taken in South Africa between November 15 and December 7 and was conducted by Discovery along with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). 

“We are extremely encouraged by the results,” said SAMRC head Glenda Gray. 

But Noach warned that despite the protection offered by two doses, hospitals could still be overrun since Omicron is spreading rapidly in South Africa. 

Source: The Star

Kagwe says no Covid curbs as cases surge

Kenya will not impose restrictions such as lockdowns following the discovery of new Omicron Covid-19 variant cases among two Kenyan travellers and a South African who entered the country last week.

Health Cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya has instead rooted for vaccinating its citizens in a bid to curb the spread of the variant in Kenya.

“We are not going to announce lockdowns and new curfew measures soon. The only way to avoid another lockdown is vaccination,” he said yesterday.

The announcement comes hours after he had said there were no new variant cases in the country despite rising coronavirus cases.

The positivity rate in Kenya has been increasing with 799 new Covid-19 cases reported yesterday alone, the highest number recorded in a day in recent months.

Data from the Health ministry shows that the positivity rate — the proportion of tests coming back positive — rose to 10.5 percent yesterday from 6.5 on Monday amid the emergence of the infectious Omicron variant.

Total confirmed positive cases are now 257,614 and cumulative tests so far conducted are 2,902,294.

The Omicron variant, which scientists say has a high number of mutations, was first detected in South Africa last month.

Cases have also been reported in travellers in Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong, among other nations.

The variant has prompted coutries such as Israel and United Arab Emirates to impose travel bans on several southern African countries against the advice of the World Health Organisation.

On Monday, operator of Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport in Accra announced it will fine airlines $3,500 for every passenger they fly in who is not vaccinated against Covid-19 or who tests positive for the coronavirus upon arrival.

Kenya’s economy, like others, has been hit by the pandemic, as Covid-19 restrictions reduced revenues and stifled growth.

Economic output contracted for the first time in nearly three decades last year, pummelled by the impact of the coronavirus crisis on key sectors such as tourism.

Source: Business Daily

NDC ‘Failing to Deliver on Expectations

Business Travel Association members report they are “frustrated” with a “lack of progress” from airlines with New Distribution Capability initiatives, according to a five-year report on NDC released by the U.K.-based association.

The association, which includes travel management company membership accounting for more than 90 percent of U.K. managed business travel spending, said that TMCs and business travelers have been “consistently penalized” by NDC, such as with surcharges on NDC content booked through global distribution systems, “with promises unfulfilled by airlines” even with “heavy financial and technological investment from TMCs.” The report also bemoaned slow adoption from airlines, with only about half of airlines currently certified to any standard of NDC.

In addition, the report cited a lack of “significant functionality” such as “personalization, unused tickets, group bookings, interlining, split [passenger name records] and mixing NDC PNR with other air content.” Online booking tools  also remain unprepared to offer full NDC capabilities, according to the report.

“We are fully supportive of the transition to NDC, as modernizing airline retail is essential for the entire business travel community, but this fractured and disjointed approach is failing to deliver on expectations,” BTA CEO Clive Wratten said in a statement. “Airlines must employ a collective customer-centric approach that streamlines with TMCs’ activities to sustainably grow the business travel sector and enable tangible change.”

The report further claimed that airlines and content aggregators have been the major beneficiaries with lower distribution cost while agents have seen “very little” benefit and the travelers has seen little “aside from lower fares.” The fares benefit also is up for debate, as TripBam founder and CEO Steve Reynolds, who recently launched an airfare-reshopping solution, said initial use has not shown that tapping the NDC aggregators brings savings.

“We’re not seeing that significant difference between that content,” Reynolds told BTN during the recent GBTA convention in Orlando. “I had thought I’d see lower fares through NDC right out of the gate, but we’re not seeing it yet.”

Still, there are those that remain optimistic about NDC benefits and adoption. Amadeus earlier this year issued a report calling 2021 “the year of scaling” for NDC as airlines develop bundles and TMCs go live with NDC content. American Airlines this week announced it was on track for a “full integration” with Amadeus for NDC at North American points of sale in early 2022, following completion of integration for European points of sale earlier this year. Capabilities will include access to a new “Corporate Experience” offer that gives access to preferred seats and priority check-in, security lines and boarding.

“This market launch will be a significant milestone for our industry and creates opportunities for more personalized offers and a more intuitive booking experience,” American Airlines managing director of digital and distribution Neil Geurin said in a statement.

The BTA report in fact praised U.S. carriers along with Qatar Airways and Etihad for taking a “customer-centric approach alongside working collaboratively with the travel management fraternity.” It called for a similar approach across the industry.

“Modernizing airline retailing is essential for all of the business travel ecosystem,” according to the report. “It will work only if the entire industry collaborates to ensure a beneficial solution for all and not least a beneficial outcome for our mutual customers.”

Source: BTN

COVID variants increase need for travel insurance during holidays

While travel insurance did not help travelers when the pandemic hit in 2020, policies now treat COVID-19 the same as any other medical condition. Carol Mueller, a vice president at Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, told The New York Times that fear of the virus is not a reimbursable claim, but illness is. 

“If you become ill before your trip, you’ll need a doctor’s note confirming your illness and that you are unable to travel to be eligible for benefits,” she said. “The benefits are the same regardless of whether you contract omicron, another variant of COVID, or any illness for that matter.”

Most policies do not offer coverage if a foreign destination closes its borders to visitors, as Israel did recently. A few exceptions also go for a government-issued travel warning to a destination, which is generally not a covered reason to make a claim.

“When people deal with me to plan their travel, I always explain to them why travel insurance is important,” said Robin Cline, owner of Cline & Co. Travel Consulting in Lexington. “I would say 95% of the people I deal with do buy it because they realize it’s important.” 

Travelers not using a travel agent may add insurance at the end of buying airfare, through their supplier, whether a cruise, consolidator, AAA, etc., or go to various websites that sell direct to the public. A simple Google search for travel insurance will provide endless choices. Cline said people that do their own travel planning typically do not purchase a travel insurance policy because of assumptions their insurance or credit card will cover it. 

“The other thing a lot of people will do if they’re like buying an airline ticket, or if they’re working directly with a supplier or something; they’ll just accept their plan or insurance coverage and take it as it is, not really exploring how covered they are,” she said. “Clicking the button at the end of purchasing is not always the best protection on an investment.”

Travel delay coverage can cover the cost of accommodations and meals during quarantine if a traveler contracts the virus. If travelers are forced to stay beyond their expected return date due to a positive test, this coverage can be extended for up to seven days.

Trip interruption coverage will reimburse travelers for missed portions of their trip if they are forced into quarantine due to a positive COVID test. Cline said it could cover 100% to 200% of your prepaid and nonrefundable trip costs, depending on the policy.

“The plans are tiered like any other insurance,” Cline said. “There are many different companies out there that you can deal with and they all kind of have their own little spin on specific packages. You can buy anything from what we call a zero-cost medical policy, all the way up to what we call a cancel for any reason policy, so your rates are going to vary.”

The “cancel for any reason” policy will return between half and three-quarters of expenses and is generally purchased when people buy tickets or make reservations.

Cline said costs also vary depending on age.

“They’re not going to insure somebody who’s 85 years old at the same rate they’re going to insure somebody who’s 25 years old,” she said.

Cline said she rarely travels without some form of travel insurance. 

“I might do a domestic plane trip without it, but that’s it,” she said. “Let’s say you’re on your way to the hotel, and you’re not going to check in until 10 p.m. and your check-in time is at 4 p.m. If you have an accident on the way and you lose your hotel for the night or something like that, you have to weigh all the pros and cons of that. If it’s not an expensive hotel, maybe it’s not worth it because of the premium.”

Cline said another reason travel insurance has become more critical because of COVID-19 is that the pandemic has caused airlines and resorts to adhere more to cancelations.

“Cancelations have become more frequent, and they’re also running them out a little further as well,” she said. “Whereas it once was 48 hours now, it might be seven days because they need that chance to rebook. I don’t begrudge them that at all; they have to be able to pay their people. I think that there’s a lot of people out there that think the airline should just forgive everything and the hotels and everybody else because COVID is not their fault, but it’s not the hotel’s or the airline’s fault, either. If they’re going to stay in business for us for the future, they’ve got to protect themselves as well.”

Source: Spectrum News

Expo 2020 Dubai schedule unaffected by UAE’s new weekend

Performances and themed events already scheduled for Expo 2020 Dubai will be unaffected by the UAE’s shift to a new working week, a senior official said.

Shows already announced for the coming months at the world fair will not alter their schedules because these are often part of wider global tours.

But visitors can look forward to new additions to the packed itinerary at the international extravaganza.

The UAE announced on Tuesday that federal government employees would work full days from Monday to Thursday, with a half day on Friday.

The new weekend will be Saturday and Sunday as of January 1. Abu Dhabi and Dubai governments and schools also confirmed they would switch to the new schedule.

Plans are being drawn up for more celebrations at the Expo site on Sunday, January 2, which is the UAE’s newest public holiday.

“We will be following UAE directives in terms of the weekend, but we haven’t changed anything as yet,” Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications, told The National.

“There will definitely be announcements coming for January 2. A lot of people take time off during the Christmas, new year period anyway so we do have a packed programme during that time.”

The theme weeks from January until March on travel, health, food, agriculture and water will continue as planned as speakers have been booked and activities scheduled.

“In that time when the weekend changes we will still keep the thematic weeks from Sunday to Saturday because it is a packed programme every day and it lasts for a week,” she said.

“For all our other activities we will be looking at it given the announcement has just come out.

“It’s too early to tell. We will be able to respond in due course once more is known.”

The Expo calendar for the duration of the six-month world fair was released before the October launch.

“Anybody who has already been announced – that won’t be changing because that is when those performers are scheduled to come,” she said.

“They are often coming as part of a wider tour of anything they might be doing globally.”

New concerts have sometimes been revealed weeks before, such as the show by Alicia Keys, who will launch her new double album Keys at Al Wasl Plaza on Friday.

Details will soon be given on another global pop name for a performance on December 17, Ms McGeachin said.

Organisers are gearing up for a packed holiday season.

AR Rahman, an Academy Award-winning composer and musician, will take to the stage on December 22, followed by a Christmas Day performance by Lea Salonga, a Broadway star and the singing voice for princesses in two Disney musicals.

Visitor numbers since Expo opened on October 1 have climbed to more than 5.6 million after a colourful National Day weekend filled with fireworks and parades.

Source: The National

Sustainability and Travel: What Companies Should Know for 2022 and Beyond

Even before the pandemic threw the travel industry into upheaval, there was mounting pressure for the sector to change its ways of doing business — specifically to prioritize sustainable and responsible practices. The pandemic has only intensified this proposition: Customers, investors, employees, and government regulators are all sending the message that companies need to strive for a higher standard than ever before when it comes to delivering positive change and reducing their impact on the climate.

New Imperatives for Corporate Responsibility

Simply put, travel companies no longer have the luxury of maintaining business as usual. They need to deliver on the promise of a sustainable travel sector. Fortunately, there are a number of benefits that travel companies stand to gain in doing so. Increasingly, customers are making purchasing and loyalty decisions based on the brands and experiences that align with their sustainability values. According to research from Accenture, some 66 percent of consumers said they are ramping up their sustainable or ethical purchasing, and 74 percent reported choosing where to shop based on values and ethical corporate practices.

Becoming more sustainable has business operation imperatives as well: New ways of thinking about meeting standards often result in innovation and creative problem solving, more optimized business models, and stronger outcomes. Additionally, taking such steps can have a big impact on efficiency and cost reduction, as businesses use less resources and smarter supply chains.

Knowing this, it makes sense that pressure is coming from the C-suite. Seventy-three percent of executives agreed that “becoming a truly sustainable and responsible business” is a high priority in the coming years, and investors are putting the topic of sustainability higher on the agenda than ever before. Accenture found that there was a 28 percent increase in investor signatories in 2020 to the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment.

And it’s not just company leaders that are considering such business practices. Employees are increasingly leaning on their companies to act more responsibly. Sixty-five percent believe organizations should be responsible for leaving their people “net better off” through work.

There’s also rising pressure from governments and regulators on companies to take actionable steps to reduce their climate impact. Regulations are only likely to get stricter and implemented at a faster pace, which means that companies that consider tomorrow‘s regulations today will be ahead of the game.

“The pressure from stakeholders — meaning from the customers, governments and regulators, and investors — is clearly much stronger now than it was,” said Jesko Neuenburg, global lead for travel & aviation sustainability at Accenture. “Whereas sustainability was often a long-tail discussion topic on CEO agendas prior to the pandemic, it’s now in all of the conversations taking place. It’s one of the top three topics for almost any CEO.”

What Makes a Responsible Travel Company?

While the phrase “responsible travel company” has often been tossed around the industry without a clear definition in the past, businesses are being held to a higher standard than ever before. This means that travel companies that want to prioritize sustainability and truly put responsible practices in place must take tangible steps as travelers get back on the road and corporate leaders rethink their priorities.

As Accenture frames it, a responsible travel company is one that has a clear environmental strategy to achieve net-zero emissions and zero waste, a social action plan to increase diversity, inclusion, and community well-being, and a governance structure that embeds sustainability across the core business and links executive compensation to meaningful progress on sustainability metrics.

For example, in the environmental realm, travel companies can put carbon reduction and offsetting programs, circular economy and waste management, water and energy saving, and renewable energy programs in place. Under the social category, paying more attention to issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the social impact travel companies have on the communities they do business in are now a must. And under the umbrella of governance, creating ambitious targets around carbon emissions, improving labor conditions and pay equity, and tying leadership compensation systems to sustainability metrics are ways travel companies can make a concrete difference.

Underlying all of this is putting the right technologies in place and smart data to use. This could mean applying ‘carbon intelligence’ to help companies understand, report on, and actively manage their carbon footprint; migrating business operations toward green cloud operators; using sustainable procurement hubs that identify suppliers with ethical practices; or implementing carbon calculators that can help travelers make informed choices and assist corporate travel planners in sticking to carbon emission targets.

In “A Net Zero Roadmap for Travel & Tourism,” a report created by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Accenture that outlines the current state of carbon emissions in the sector and proposes realistic targets and steps to decarbonization, 42 percent of the travel and tourism businesses analyzed currently had publicly announced climate targets.

While this is a promising start, the report further calls on businesses to increase their ambitions to achieve net-zero by — or even before — 2050. It lays out five steps to do so, which include: setting the right baselines and emission targets to achieve individual and sector goals; monitoring results and reporting progress; collaborating within and across industries; providing finance and investment required for the transition; and raising awareness and building capacities on climate.

Accenture Ramps Up Its Sustainability Commitments

Sustainability is increasingly becoming an indispensable part of any corporate agenda, and companies are taking ambitious steps to confront the threat of climate change.

In October 2020, Accenture announced new commitments to sustainability, including achieving net-zero emissions, moving to zero waste, and develop plans to reduce the impact of flooding, drought, and water scarcity in high-risk areas by 2025. Additionally, in September 2021, Accenture joined 60 companies in the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition, with a goal to accelerate the supply and use of sustainable aviation fuel to reach 10 percent of the global jet aviation fuel supply by 2030.

The near-complete halt of travel for a time, combined with the explosion of digital tools to allow for remote work in its stead, also redefined how the company views its business travel and how it affects the climate. “Corporations are certainly a lot more mindful now about how much they travel, why they travel, and how they arrange their trips,” said Neuenburg.

Helen Hickson, managing director of global mobility at Accenture, agreed that having a clear purpose for travel will be key moving forward: “We’re creating new travel guidelines and tools for our people, enabling them to make responsible and climate-smart travel decisions, making every trip truly worth it,” she explained.

When employees do travel for work, Accenture’s Aviation Carbon Calculator allows them to view the specific carbon footprint for any direct flight, anywhere in the world. Travelers and those planning employee travel can make informed decisions with this type of information at their fingertips. “It’s not just an average emissions number for a flight from Frankfurt to London,” said Neuenburg. “It’s actually that specific flight, on that specific aircraft type, with a statistically likely number of passengers and amount of cargo for that aircraft.”

These more recent goals add to the steps Accenture was already taking to reduce its environmental impact, including signing the UN Global Compact’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pledge, reducing its emissions in line with its existing science-based target, and committing to RE100’s global initiative to use 100 percent renewable electricity by 2023.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that sustainability can no longer be an afterthought for travel companies. Being creative — yet pragmatic — in order to put responsible business practices in place is the only way forward. The strategic choices being made and actions being taken now will lay the groundwork for long-term success ahead.

Source: Skift

Covid travel restrictions had a surprising effect on medical tourism from Africa

Fewer trips to India and other “medical tourism” destinations by Africa’s middle class is one anticipated result of a surge of investment into medical facilities, says a just-released report, which also highlights the opportunity for these facilities to mint money treating lifestyle diseases as Africa’s middle class rapidly expands.

The number of Africa’s own regional medical tourism destinations is also seen rising beyond South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia—which currently have the most advanced medical facilities on the continent—according to Research and Market’s Medical tourism 2022: Africa potential.

According to the report, “winds of change are sweeping across African medical tourism.” 11 countries top a list of those looking to take in more patients from other jurisdictions within Africa—as well as outside the continent—in the coming year.

“Once seen as just a source for other medical tourism destinations, some African countries have taken stock and have or will seek to increase inbound medical tourism and reduce outbound medical tourism,” says the report.

Newer hubs are coming up in Africa for medical tourism

Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania are newly-listed markets with the potential to help the continent save millions of dollars spent every year in the world’s key medical tourism markets, like India and the UK.

“Outbound medical tourism costs African countries millions of dollars in exchange revenue so they seek to fight back,” according to the report.

The Research and Markets report shows that Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, and Eswatini are among 12 local sources that could significantly boost intra-Africa tourism and trade revenues. Ethiopia, Lesotho Libya, Mozambique Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are also key medical tourism sources that do not fall under either potential or existing destinations.

“Medical tourism in 2022 and beyond will not be a restart of how it was left in 2019 and earlier as there is no guarantee that previous trends will return,” says the report.

The report analyzes how different countries are improving healthcare as well as how medical tourism and insurance plans offered by both private and government institutions are changing and says that the pandemic has changed rules of engagement ‘forever’.

Since the outbreak of covid-19, African countries have been aggressively putting up more modern and advanced medical facilities as top medical researchers return to the continent to bolster the local capacity of medical research.

Last month, Kenya launched its Integrated Molecular Imaging Center and Hospitality Center, a cancer treatment center equipped with a 100-person hostel facility. Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta said it will save Kenyans the over $89 million they spend on cancer treatment outside the country each year.

Ghana made history by building a 100-bed capacity infectious Disease Center (GIDC)—now a referral for patients in need of intensive critical care—during the pandemic, by leveraging private sector and government funding. Last year, the west African country also announced plans to build a 1100-bed health institution dubbed Eco Medical Village to position itself as the next medical tourism destination for Africans.

Investment into medical facilities in Africa has also seen regional investment, with Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed flying to Uganda in October to witness the inauguration of the AFRI Egypt Medical Centre, an Egyptian investment in high tech health facilities in Jinja.

In August, Rwanda and Senegal were picked by covid-19 vaccine maker BioNTech for local production of malaria and tuberculosis vaccines. Nigeria also launched Africa’s first private lab for human whole-genome sequencing, following a $15 million fundraise by start-up, 54Gene last year.

Meanwhile, medical professionals who might previously have flown abroad to look for greener pastures are opting to stay home. Some, like medical doctor and entrepreneur, Maxwell Okoth, founder of the 100-bed Ruai Family Hospital in Kenya, have begun investing in private medical facilities, instead.

These trends, together with plans by the Africa Union and Africa Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) to build local capacity to manufacture 60% of covid-19 vaccines locally by 2040, looks set to shift the face of Africa’s medical tourism.

Medical Tourism Index 2020/2021 by Medical Tourism Association tracks the world’s top 46 medical tourism destinations. It ranks South Africa (22), Egypt (26), Morocco (31) and Tunisia (38) as the top destinations in Africa.

Source: Quartz Africa