Dubai is heading into the final months of 2026 with tourism showing a strong recovery, as international visitor numbers and hotel performance continue to improve following a difficult first half of the year.

The latest figures from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) show that the emirate welcomed 6.97 million international overnight visitors between January and August 2026. August alone recorded approximately 869,000 visitors, the highest monthly figure since February, with visitor numbers recording double-digit month-on-month growth since March.

The recovery is also visible across the city’s hotel sector. Hotel occupancy reached 66% in August, up from 36% in March. By the end of August, Dubai had almost 149,000 hotel rooms, while hotels recorded 21.61 million occupied room nights during the first eight months of the year.

The turnaround is significant after a disrupted first half of the year, when regional instability affected aviation and hotel demand. The restoration of international air connectivity has been central to Dubai’s recovery, allowing the destination to reconnect with its major source markets as travel demand strengthens.

Dubai’s diversified visitor base is another factor supporting the rebound. Between January and August, Western Europe accounted for 20% of international visitation, followed by South Asia at 17%, the GCC at 16%, and CIS and Eastern Europe at 14%. The spread across markets gives the destination multiple sources of demand rather than leaving it heavily dependent on one region.

Africa remains an important part of that mix. The continent generated approximately 897,000 visitors, or 5% of Dubai’s international arrivals, in 2025, when the emirate welcomed a record 19.59 million international overnight visitors, up from 18.72 million in 2024.

For the East African travel trade, Dubai’s relationship with the region is increasingly commercial as well as consumer-driven. In July, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism held its annual tourism trade roadshow in Nairobi, bringing together more than 130 travel agents, tour operators, airlines and tourism stakeholders to strengthen destination partnerships and sales opportunities.

That trade relationship is supported by a tourism product that can be packaged for very different travellers. Dubai combines beaches and desert experiences with family entertainment, shopping, gastronomy, wellness, culture and business events, allowing agents to build itineraries around short breaks, family holidays, honeymoons, luxury travel and corporate trips.

Its hotel market adds another layer of flexibility. Dubai recorded 80.7% average hotel occupancy in 2025, generating 44.85 million occupied room nights. The average daily rate stood at AED579, while revenue per available room increased 11% to AED467, highlighting the strength of the destination’s accommodation sector.

For African travel professionals, the attraction therefore extends beyond Dubai’s familiar skyline and luxury positioning. Strong connectivity, extensive accommodation capacity, a wide range of experiences and a year-round events calendar give agents multiple ways to sell the destination across different customer segments.

The momentum comes after Dubai recorded its first month with more than 2 million international visitors in December 2025, giving the emirate a record base from which to enter 2026. With visitor numbers now recovering and the peak winter travel period approaching, Dubai is seeking to turn that momentum into another strong season.

For African travellers and the trade that serves them, the message is increasingly clear: Dubai is not relying on a single tourism product. It is selling a complete destination — and its latest visitor and hotel figures suggest that proposition continues to attract demand.

Uganda has removed the requirement for international travellers to present a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate when entering the country, ending a long-standing entry requirement that has been an important consideration for travel agents and visitors planning trips to Uganda.

The change was formally confirmed on 2 October by Uganda’s National Citizenship and Immigration Control (NCIC), which said a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is no longer required for entry. The requirement is also no longer listed on Uganda’s e-visa application portal or the NCIC website.

The clarification follows reports earlier this week that the requirement had been dropped. The decision followed communication from Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Citizenship and Immigration Control.

For the travel trade, the move removes one of the documentation requirements that agents have traditionally had to flag when preparing clients for travel to Uganda. Travellers who previously needed to carry proof of vaccination to satisfy Uganda’s entry rules will no longer need to present the certificate at the border.

The change could also simplify pre-travel advice and reduce the risk of passengers arriving without documentation that had previously been treated as a condition of entry. This is particularly relevant for regional travel within East Africa, where travellers frequently move between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and other destinations.

However, the change should not be interpreted as a general suspension of Yellow Fever vaccination requirements across the region. Other countries may continue to require proof of vaccination depending on a traveller’s origin, transit history or destination. ATCNews, for example, noted that Seychelles continues to apply Yellow Fever requirements to some travellers arriving from Africa, including those transiting through Nairobi or Addis Ababa.

For travel agents, the immediate priority is therefore to update client advisories and booking checklists for Uganda while continuing to check the latest airline and destination-entry information for onward journeys. The Uganda immigration authority has directed travellers requiring further clarification to its Public Relations Office.

The development comes as Uganda continues to position itself as a destination for international leisure, business and regional travel. Removing an additional entry-document requirement could make the country marginally easier to access, particularly for short-notice and regional travellers.

Travel trade note: Uganda’s immigration authority has now officially confirmed that a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is not mandatory for entry into Uganda. Agents should nevertheless verify current airline/Timatic requirements where applicable, particularly for itineraries involving onward travel or transit through other countries.

Source : atcnews.org

Air Cairo is scheduled to launch a direct Mombasa–Hurghada service in December, creating a new air link between Kenya’s Coast and Egypt’s Red Sea resort region.

The Egyptian carrier’s flight SM734 is scheduled to make its first Mombasa–Hurghada operation on December 26, 2026, with current timetables showing two weekly services around the launch period. The flight is expected to take about five hours, with the return service operating as SM733.

The route will connect Moi International Airport and Hurghada International Airport without a stop in Nairobi or Cairo, adding another international city pair to Mombasa’s aviation network.

Hurghada is one of Egypt’s principal Red Sea tourism centres, while Mombasa is the main international gateway to Kenya’s Coast. The new service therefore links two established leisure markets directly and gives tour operators in both countries another air connection around which to build itineraries.

Current schedules indicate that Air Cairo will use an Embraer 190 on the route. The initial twice-weekly operation represents a relatively small addition to available capacity, but the opening of the city pair gives the airline a foothold in Kenya’s coastal market and places Mombasa within its wider East African network.

Air Cairo already serves the region, including connections involving Nairobi and Zanzibar, making the Mombasa service part of a broader expansion of links between Egypt and East Africa.

The airline is also displaying Mombasa–Hurghada and Hurghada–Mombasa as bookable city pairs through its own sales channels, providing a stronger indication that the route has moved beyond a purely theoretical schedule listing. Flight times, frequencies and fares remain subject to change as the December operation approaches.

For Mombasa, the addition comes as airlines continue to expand the range of international destinations served directly from the Coast. The route also gives the Kenyan tourism market another connection into Egypt beyond the established Nairobi–Cairo traffic, while opening Hurghada to travellers originating from the Coast.

The first scheduled service is December 26, rather than December 27, although December 27 is also shown as an operating date under the current timetable.

Source : flightsfrom.com

Rising airline surcharges are increasing the cost of corporate air travel, with businesses finding that negotiated discounts often do not extend to some of the additional fees attached to air tickets.

The increase has been linked to higher jet fuel costs, with some airlines choosing to adjust carrier-imposed surcharges rather than increase base fares. The charges, commonly shown as YQ and YR on ticket breakdowns, are controlled by airlines and can include fuel-related and other operating costs. They are more common on international itineraries and generally rise with cabin class.

For corporate travel programmes, the issue is that negotiated discounts may apply to the base fare but not to these surcharges. As the additional charges account for a larger share of the overall ticket price, the effective discount on the final fare becomes smaller.

On some business-class itineraries, the surcharges have accounted for between 21 percent and 41 percent of the total ticket price, according to examples cited in the report. On a sample route between Houston and London, combined YQ and YR charges increased from $2,155 at the end of February to $2,805 by mid-April. On another sample fare to Bangalore, the surcharges represented 41 percent of the ticket price.

The increase is also complicating travel budgeting. Volatile surcharge levels make it harder for companies to forecast air expenditure and assess whether negotiated airline agreements are delivering the expected savings. Because the charges can change independently of the base fare, the final ticket price can move even where the underlying corporate discount remains unchanged.

The impact is particularly significant on long-haul and premium-cabin travel, where surcharges can represent a substantial portion of the total fare. International business-class tickets are therefore becoming more exposed to movements in airline-imposed fees, adding another variable for companies managing travel budgets.

Whether the charges will fall as fuel costs ease remains uncertain in timing. Industry sources cited in the report said surcharges generally decline after cost pressures ease, but reductions can take time. This creates a potential period in which airlines continue to collect higher surcharges even after some of the underlying cost pressure has moderated.

For travel buyers, the changing pricing environment is increasing attention on advance booking, fare comparisons and air-ticket reshopping. Some corporate programmes are using reshopping tools to identify lower-priced alternatives after an initial booking, while others are directing travellers towards airlines or fare options offering more competitive inventory.

The development also highlights the importance of looking beyond the headline fare or negotiated discount when assessing the cost of corporate air travel. As carrier-imposed charges form a larger part of the final ticket, the total payable amount—and how each component is treated under corporate agreements—becomes increasingly important for travel managers and businesses.

Source : https: businesstravelnews.com

Tanzania will from October 1 require most foreign visitors entering Mainland Tanzania to have mandatory inbound travel insurance, introducing a new cost and compliance requirement for travellers and the region’s travel trade.

The requirement applies to foreign visitors arriving through airports, seaports and land borders and follows the publication of the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026. Tanzania’s Ministry of Finance confirmed September 25 that implementation will begin on October 1.

The insurance will be issued by the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) and will cost US$44 for an adult, with children aged three to 17 eligible for a 50 per cent discount. Children aged below three will not be charged. Groups of at least 10 people are eligible for a 10 per cent group discount.

The cover is valid for up to 92 days, including multiple entries during the period of validity. It provides benefits including emergency medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation and cover for lost luggage.

Travellers can obtain the policy online before departure or at the point of entry. NIC has advised visitors to obtain the cover before arrival and carry the insurance certificate for verification.

A key consideration for travel agents is that the exemption is based on residence rather than nationality. The regulations exempt residents of East African Community (EAC) Partner States and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Partner States from the mandatory cover.

The requirement also comes as Tanzania continues to operate separate insurance arrangements for Zanzibar. Zanzibar introduced its own mandatory travel insurance for foreign visitors in October 2024, administered by the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC).

For itineraries combining the mainland and Zanzibar, the applicable insurance arrangement depends on the traveller’s entry point and circumstances. Travel businesses should therefore avoid treating the Mainland NIC policy and Zanzibar’s ZIC cover as interchangeable without confirming the applicable requirement.

The new measure will have a direct bearing on Kenya’s travel trade, particularly agents selling Tanzania safaris, Kilimanjaro climbs and combined Mainland-Zanzibar holidays. Quotations prepared for clients who are not covered by the EAC or SADC residence exemption will need to account for the additional US$44 adult charge.