Kenya on Thursday called on African tourism marketers to create synergies that can promote intra-Africa travel.

Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert, the chairperson of the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), said Africa’s tourism boards and stakeholders in public and private sectors should promote the vastness of the continent, its natural beauty, and its immense biodiversity that offers travelers an almost unlimited choice of destinations.

Mwangi said tourism has been growing rapidly over the past decade, but this growth has not been evenly distributed across all African countries.

“A majority of countries are still lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development and market access, which is why partnerships between tourism boards and governments will be key in helping to grow our industry,” she said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

While speaking during a meeting with African tourism board representatives on the sidelines of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo, Mwangi noted that the African continent is one that has great potential for tourism. and insisted that despite the fact that there are many opportunities for intra-Africa travel, little or no synergies exist among the various stakeholders.

“We need to go ahead and capitalize on this opportunity by crafting strategies that will help us achieve our goals,” Mwangi said.

She also urged tourism boards in the continent to seek more partnerships with governments and other stakeholders in the sector to ensure the future success of tourism in Africa, challenging them to be at the frontier in innovating new marketing strategies that can help boost tourism development.

According to the KTB, international arrivals in Africa grew to 18.5 million in 2021 from 16.2 million in 2020.

Source: Xinhua

The federal government is scrapping another of its responses to the pandemic.

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped its country-by-country COVID-19 travel health notices that it began issuing early in the pandemic.

The reason: Fewer countries are testing for the virus or reporting the number of COVID-19 cases. That limits the CDC’s ability to calculate travelers’ risk, according to the agency.

CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said the agency will only post a travel health notice for an individual country if a situation such as a troubling new variant of the virus changes CDC travel recommendations for that country.

The CDC still recommends that travelers remain up to date on vaccines and follow recommendations found on its international travel page.

That page divides countries into three categories – practice usual precautions, enhanced precautions or avoid nonessential travel.

Restrictions such as testing and quarantine requirements greatly slowed international travel earlier in the pandemic, but many countries eventually lifted those rules for fully vaccinated and boosted people to increase tourism.

In early 2020, before vaccines were available, the United States barred people who had recently been in any of more than three dozen countries. In 2021, the U.S. instead began requiring people to test negative for COVID-19 shortly before boarding planes to the U.S. That rule too was eventually dropped.

Source: USA Today

Rwanda has reinstated the use of non-contact thermometers across all its border posts with Uganda following an Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring country that has killed five and infected 19 other people.

Health workers in protective coats and face masks at the Gatuna and Kagitumba borders have begun measuring temperatures of travellers and taking down their travel histories as Kigali seeks to prevent cross-border infections.

Although Rwanda has not suffered a single Ebola case in the past, Uganda’s Mubende District—where Ebola has been reported—is about a six-hour drive from the border.

This close proximity has heightened alertness in Rwanda, with the government urging residents to consider preventive measures.

“The Ministry of Health strongly urges each and every one to be cautious and seriously comply with the preventive measures against the Ebola Virus Disease as it is easily preventable when one abides by hygiene standards and avoids unnecessary visits and contact with people who have travelled to areas affected by the Ebola outbreak,” a statement reads.

“Avoid unnecessary travel coming from the area affected by the Ebola outbreak; avoid receiving travellers coming from the affected area (Mubende); when you know where they are in the country, immediately report to the nearest local authority.”

Two of Rwanda’s neighbours – Uganda and DRC – have suffered Ebola outbreaks in the past, with officials saying they are aware and alert of the danger that this comes with.

At the height of the Ebola epidemic in DRC in 2019, Rwanda increased border surveillance; trained over 23,600 medical personnel, police officers and volunteers; and embarked on a countywide sensitisation campaign about the virus.

The country’s most serious scare came in August 2019 when reports by the World Health Organization claimed that a fishmonger who “died of the virus may have carried the disease into the country from eastern DRC.”

Rwanda rejected this claim and, thereafter, WHO retracted the statement and commended Rwanda’s preparedness efforts, while stating that no cases of Ebola were reported in the country.

The virus had claimed over 2,000 in DRC by September 2019, while threatening to break into neighbouring countries Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania.

Ebola response simulation exercises were conducted in multiple district hospitals to test Rwanda’s preparedness in conducting emergency operations, surveillance and lab tests in case of a reported Ebola case.

The country also vaccinated about 3,000 health workers as a preventative measure, including more than 1,100 in Gisenyi town that borders DRC.

Ebola is a deadly disease in people and nonhuman primates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, or a sick or infected dead person.

Ebola symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhoea, regular vomiting, stomach-ache and bleeding.

Source: The East African

Kenyans with old passports have until November to acquire the new biometric digital ones, Immigration Director General Alexander Muteshi said Thursday.

Travellers who will not have changed their passports by end of November will be barred from travelling.  

“Pursuant to the decision by EAC Council of Ministers held in Arusha from November 22 to 29, 2021, the deadline for phasing out of the old generation passport for EAC Member States is November 2022,” DG Alexander Muteshi said.

The Kenyan government has shifted the deadline for the migration to the new travel document several times, causing confusion.

“In line with this decision, the Directorate of Immigration Services wishes to inform the general public that Kenya is bound to migrate to the new East African Community biometric e-passport by November 30,” Mr Muteshi said. 

Already, some countries like Spain and others in the European Union (EU) are not accepting the old passport from Kenyan travellers, adding to the confusion that has been occasioned by several postponements.

Kenya rolled out new chip-embedded passports for its citizens to tame rampant forgery and impersonation of holders. The new features are meant to make it impossible for anyone to forge or duplicate a Kenyan passport.

The new e-passports conform to international passport security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that require they have a tamper-proof electronic chip with a holder’s information and travel history.

Roll-out of the e-passports with a 10-year validity period marked the beginning of the end of the ‘analogue’ passports that have been in use since Independence and have joined more than 60 other countries that use new passports.

The decision to phase out the old generation passport was first made public in April 2015 and the electronic passport was to be launched in December 2016 but has been extended several times.

The shifting deadlines have caused confusion with some foreign consulates announcing they would cease to accept the analogue Kenyan passport, only for the government to give an extension.

Source: Business Daily

The United States Embassy in Nairobi has announced the expansion of the Interview Waiver Program for non-immigrant visas.

In a statement on Friday, US ambassador Meg Whitman said this is effective immediately.

“Effective immediately, those applying for tourist/business, student, or crew visas categories may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview,” she said.

Whitman said to qualify for this program, one must be applying for the same visa category.

“… And your visa cannot have expired more than four years ago.  Formerly, the limit was one year,” she added.

This is part of Whitman’s pledge to reduce the non-immigrant visa interview appointment backlog

The program enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorisation approval prior to travel and meet all requirements explained below.

Source: The Star

Flights to and from Heathrow will be halted for half an hour on Monday to ensure the two minutes’ silence at the end of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is not disrupted by aircraft noise over London.

Britain’s main airport will also halt arrivals in the early afternoon to avoid planes coming in to land over the west of the capital during the procession of the Queen’s hearse, and it will stop take-offs later so as not to disturb the ceremonial procession to Windsor.

The changes will affect about 15% of Heathrow’s schedule, which the airport said was “equivalent to a moderate weather event”. British Airways expects to cancel about 50 flights as part of the changes.

Departure schedules will be reduced throughout the later afternoon to minimise noise during the committal service in Windsor. Flights will be diverted around Windsor Castle during the private family service and interment.

Some roads around the airport will also be closed, and Heathrow urged people to use available rail links such as the Elizabeth line or tube.

Separately, the UK’s major supermarkets said their petrol stations would be closed for most of the day of the funeral. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons will close forecourts on Monday, with some reopening at 5pm.

Heathrow said its changes had been agreed with airlines and air traffic control service Nats, and would affect some scheduled flights, particularly in the late afternoon and early evening. Passengers whose travel plans would need to change would be notified by their airlines, it said.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “As a mark of respect, operations to and from the airport will be subject to appropriate changes in order to avoid noise disruption at certain locations at specific times on Monday. Heathrow and airlines are working closely with Nats to minimise the impact of these restrictions on passengers.

“Passengers affected by these changes will be contacted directly by their airlines about their travel plans and the options available to them. Passengers who have been notified that their flight has been cancelled, and/or do not have a confirmed seat on a flight, should not turn up to the airport.”

Those waiting for flights will be able to watch the funeral on screens at the airport. Non-essential shops in the terminals will close on Monday, although restaurants, cafes and pubs will remain open. Heathrow said it would put additional staff in the airport to support passengers.

The airport apologised in advance for the inconvenience some passengers would experience but said it believed “this is the right thing to do at a time of national mourning”.

A BA spokesperson said: “As a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral, we have reduced our schedule and retimed some flights at Heathrow to ensure the skies are quiet at certain moments on Monday 19 September. Our thoughts remain with the royal family and the nation.”

Its Gatwick and London City airport schedules are expected to operate as planned.

Heathrow flights were briefly suspended on Wednesday to ensure silence as the Queen’s coffin travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall before the lying-in-state.

The full changes on Monday

• 11.40am-12.10pm: no take-offs or landings from Heathrow, around the two-minute silence at the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
• 1.45-2.20pm: no arrivals to support the procession of the Queen’s hearse.
• 3.05-4.45pm: no departures.
• 4.45-9pm: reduced departure rate during the service.

Source: The Guardian

Dubai will be ‘the major gateway’ to the World Cup with probably more people coming through the city than Qatar, according to Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths.

An accommodation squeeze means tens of thousands of fans will base themselves in nearby countries for the month-long tournament. Match-day flights from major Middle Eastern cities will shuttle spectators to games, benefiting airlines, hotels and hospitality venues across nations including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The already popular tourism hub of Dubai stands to benefit the most. Of the more than 90 new flights that will land each day in the host city, Doha, about 40 will leave from the UAE. A new hotel built on the Palm has been set aside for guests who plan to base themselves in Dubai and take the 40-minute flight to Doha with streamlined immigration procedures.

Dubai will be “the major gateway” to the World Cup with probably more people coming through the city than Qatar, said Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports. “The amount of hotel capacity in Qatar is fairly limited and we’ve got so much to offer here.”

Qatar has been preparing to host the Cup for 12 years and estimates the influx of 1.2 million visitors will add $17 billion to its economy. Amid concerns of an accommodation crunch, organisers have leased two cruise ships and will pitch more than 1,000 tents in the desert. A regional shuttle service will connect Doha with other cities including Muscat, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait City.

Saudi Arabia and Oman are both holding festivals to entice fans and plan to streamline travel procedures. The Saudi Tourism Authority says it expects to welcome 30,000 visitors because of the World Cup, and those registered for Qatar’s Hayya fan card can apply for multiple-entry visas to the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism says the tournament will “raise the profile of many regional destinations” and have an economic impact well beyond the event.

FIFA and Qatar have both welcomed the tourism benefits that will flow to the region.

Compact event

The busiest period for Qatar will be the group stage, when four matches a day will be held in stadiums in and around Doha. Two of the venues are just a 10-minute drive apart, while the furthest is just an hour away. That makes the event more compact than the 21 World Cups that preceded it.

Russia, which hosted the last tournament, had stadiums spread over 11 cities, while Brazil held matches in 12 cities. For the 2026 World Cup, Mexico, Canada, and the US will share hosting responsibilities.

A compact tournament offers fans the opportunity to watch more than one match in a day, said Alan Holt, managing director of Expat Sport. Holt, who slept on a gymnasium floor in Japan during the 2002 World Cup and shared a one-bedroom apartment with four friends in Moscow in 2018, said accommodation shortages for such a huge sporting event are nothing new.

And World Cup fans have shown time and again they’re prepared to travel for matches.

“I expect for first-time visitors to the region to leave impressed,” Holt said. “For some people this is a bucket-list experience, for others it’s a four-year trip with friends and for many it’s an opportunity to come to a different part of the world than they previously had.”

Source: Gulf News

Could this be the year that the much-anticipated African Passport is availed to ordinary citizens across the continent?

Despite the passage of numerous set deadlines, incessant delays exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic; after eight years since inception of the initiative, Africans continue to harbour hope that the African Passport nears its official distribution date, and will prove instrumental in relaxing travel restrictions, thereby breaking barriers in intra-African trade and mobility. The mass rollout is yet to materialize but is projected to happen this year.

The African Passport is a flagship project of the African Union’s (AU) continental blueprint Agenda 2063; which is additionally well aligned to the 1981 African Charter on human and People’s Rights and the 1991 Treaty, establishing the African Economic Community, a nascent regional trade bloc.

The Agenda envisions ‘an integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the vision of Africa’s Renaissance. By the same token, under aspiration 5, the agenda works towards ‘an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics’, therefore recommending the collapse of both physical and invisible barriers that have thwarted the integration of the African people.

Hailed as a key component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the AU unified African passport was launched in July 2016, at the 27th Ordinary session of the AU held in Kigali, Rwanda, and was scheduled to be availed to Africans by 2020. Hitherto, only AU officials, diplomats and government leaders have been issued with the passport.

Similarly, the Union had set a target of achieving intracontinental free trade by 2017, and abolishing visas for Africans to move within the continent by 2018. However, its mass roll-out has been plagued by delays and further worsened by the pandemic, which heralded travel restrictions. Nonetheless, with dispensation of vaccines, a return to normalcy has been witnessed that has in tandem seen most restrictions get lifted.

The African passport is a common passport document that is set to replace the existing nationally issued AU member states’ passport, and exempt bearers from having to obtain any visas for all 55 states in Africa. The three types of AU passports that are to be issued include, the Ordinary Passport which is 32 pages and valid for five years, that will be issued to citizens and is intended for occasional travel such as business trips and vacations. The Official or Service passport will be issued to officials attached to government institutions, who have to travel on official business.

Finally, the diplomatic passport will be issued to diplomats and consuls for work-related travel and to their accompanying dependents. The passport has inscriptions in English, Swahili, Arabic, French and Portuguese.

The initiative aims at transforming Africa’s laws, which remain generally restrictive on the movement of people. This, despite political commitments to bring down borders, with the view to promote the issuance of visas by member states, thereby enhancing free movement of all African citizens within the continent. The passport will be biometric or an e-passport that meets international standards and will be modeled akin to the EU’s Schengen Zone one; to prevent fraud and illegal issuances therefore ensuring accountability. Leveraging on technology, the electronic system could be used to track movements, and hence aid in monitoring illegal travel and improve safe travel conditions.

This will not only aid in tracking criminals and terrorists, but also reduce illegal migration and thus save the lives of the many, who perish on illegal journeys in search of greener pastures.

Despite the enthusiasm around the African Passport, pertinent questions have emerged such as why the AU embarked on this project instead of initiating a visa-free agreement, to change the restrictive visa system. According to many skeptics, it would have been faster, cheaper and more prudent; given that visa-free concessions are already in place in several countries. Restrictive visa regimes across many African countries, have resulted in travel blockages for Africans. Travelling within the continent is not only tedious but also costly.

According to the Africa Visa Openness Index, Africans need a visa entry to 55 per cent of African countries on average. Most of this visas are valid for one month, making frequent business trips an unnecessary struggle. Currently, it takes about 30 visas to get through the entire continent, often you have to leave the continent to only to come back. In some cases, it’s easier for people outside Africa to travel to several countries on the continent, such as Americans and Canadians, who can get visas on arrival in 35 per cent of African countries. This has posed a major obstacle to increased intra-African trade, which still remains very low. It’s quite unfortunate that many African countries still do more business with their former colonial power masters, than with their neighbours.

According to the 2021 Africa Visa Openness Index, opening up Africa’s borders will drive investment and result in an economic rebound. The Index aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Protocol on the Free Movement of People. It shows that 36 countries have improved or maintained their Visa Openness Index score since 2016. Over 80 per cent 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.

The report indicates that 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.

“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 (AfDB).

Prospects of the African Passport

The African passport will facilitate the free movement of persons in Africa, and is expected to deliver several benefits to all participating countries.

It will open up borders and minimize bureaucracies, associated with intra-continental travel. The document is largely expected to boost intra-Africa trade, manufacturing and commerce, given that AfCFTA is already in effect. According to an analysis for the residency firm Henley & Partners, the passport initiative will prove vital to the success of the trade agreement, as it will ease travel within the continent.

The purpose of AfCFTA is to bring together 1.3 billion people in a $3.4 trillion economic bloc, creating a single market for goods and services; in addition to a customs union with free movement of both capital and business travelers. African citizens will be able to cross all borders on African soil, this will largely simplify the trading matrix which is bound to cause a domino effect, bolstering other key sectors in these economies, hence aiding in poverty eradication.

The African Passport will greatly boost Africa’s tourism sector, which is a top foreign exchange earner in many African countries, making significant contributions to their respective GDPs such as Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. Drawing an example from the EU’s Schengen passport, that has turned Europe into a tourism hub, due to the fact that a single visa with multiple entries permit one to access 26 states; one can only imagine how the same scenario would skyrocket Africa’s industry.

The passport is bound to create employment across many African nations, solving one of the continent’s greatest quandaries; unemployment. Given the open-door policy, the passport will permit skilled Africans to cross borders to find opportunities. Entrepreneurs can move from country to country establishing their businesses with ease, and creating job opportunities. This could also serve as a viable solution to end the dangerous journeys by many African youth, in their attempt to reach Europe mostly through the Mediterranean Sea; with opportunities abounding within the continent, they can move to a country within the continent to find greener pastures.

Africa stands to benefit from a unified approach to solving economic problems, as it serves as a powerful tool to unify trade and labour mobility allowing for strength in numbers that the continent urgently needs. Other benefits that the African Passport is expected to bring include: promoting pan-African identity and social integration; facilitating labour mobility, intra-Africa knowledge and skills transfer; improving trans-border infrastructure and shared development; fostering a comprehensive approach to border management; promoting rule of law, human rights and public health.

Plausible impediments

The African Passport project presents certain challenges, whose forfeiture could prove detrimental should they lack proper address.

Among the major concerns has been increased terrorist activity, due to the open border policy. With the continent harbouring several terror groups such as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab among others, fears exist that they would take advantage of the free and open borders to coordinate attacks in vast areas.

Logistical issues could prove existential in regards to issuing the passports. At present, only 24 countries have implemented biometrics passport issuance systems; this could pose a challenge in issuing a standard AU passport. Furthermore, with perspective to the differences in technology advancement levels across Africa, accessing the passport could be a hurdle for some countries.

The issue of porous borders does not settle well with several countries, due to the fear of an influx of migrants. Already even before the passports are issued, some countries have been struggling with xenophobia due to the large inflow of migrants. South Africa has particularly been on the spotlight for this, due to migrants from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In the same breath, some African countries are very strict and protective of their borders such as Equatorial Guinea, therefore opening them up might prove challenging. Moreover, some countries might not want to relinquish the benefits of visa fees, as it forms a part of government revenue.

Furthermore, the AU needs to shed light on several issues such as whether the passport will be issued alongside a national one, or will it supersede the relevance of a national one. Another query would be the extent to which the passport will promote labour mobility; will the passport resemble the Schengen Zone one, which affords EU passport holders the same employment opportunities across Europe regardless of citizenship. Or, will protectionism give way to restrictions? Into the bargain, will the passport be useful for travelling abroad or only remain acceptable in Africa?

Going forward, African countries additionally need to invest in travel infrastructure, which is lagging behind. For instance, there are very few flights between Abuja and Dakar, two major West African capitals, and passengers sometimes have to travel via Nairobi, Addis Ababa or even Europe. Yes, the passport will soon be availed, but with ineffective travel infrastructure, priorities appear misplaced.

Even as Africa looks forward to the mass distribution of the African passport, so much remains undone and so many questions remain unanswered. Inarguably, the initiative is capital and Africa could reap a plethora of benefits, catapulting the continent closer to the realization of Agenda 2063.

However, the AU should address these existing quibbles, and clearly outline concrete plans and mechanisms for implementation thereof.

Source: The Exchange

Ethiopian Airlines and Travelport have announced a new agreement. The renewed deal includes distribution on the Travelport+ platform and expands the ongoing travel retailingand distribution relationship between Travelport and Ethiopian, who was ranked the number one airline within the African continent by Business Insider earlier this year.

Once the airline makes content via NDC distribution available, both companies will work together to provide agents with access to NDC content and functionality from Ethiopian Airlines in the Travelport+ platform. As part of the agreement, Ethiopian Airlines will become a new participant in Travelport’s Rich Content & Branding (RC&B) program. As a top 100 carrier booked through Travelport, the carrier is laying the foundation to ensure that Travelport-connected agencies can access the most robust, enriched Ethiopian Airlines’ content following its current fleet expansion.

“As we are now investing in our ability to meet high demand for travel following the pandemic, it is crucial that we deepen our partnership with Travelport as they understand our need to efficiently deliver simplified access to our growing content,” said Lemma Yadecha, Chief Commercial Officer at Ethiopian Airlines. “Travelport’s enhanced multisourced content capabilities within the Travelport+ platform will help us to provide agents and their travelers with quick, easy access to highly relevant offers and more choices to fit their needs. Our expanded agreement with Travelport and Rich Content & Branding will further enable us to drive more value for our travelers through today’s modern travel retailing environment,” he added.

David Gomes, Head of Regional Air Partners, EMEA at Travelport, said: “Our renewed, expanded agreement with Ethiopian Airlines to include Travelport RC&B participation is a significant step in evolving and modernizing Ethiopian’s retailing strategy. Travelport+ was built to manage multiple sources of content and effectively merchandize personalized and dynamic offers, which will greatly benefit the agency community and provide a better experience for Ethiopian’s travellers as the airline pushes its NDC strategy forward.”

Source: Travel Trends Today