Arrivals of visitors through the main airports in Kenya hit a record high in the first quarter of this year following the new visa-free policy.
Official statistics show that 409,164 visitors arrived at JKIA and Moi International Airport in Mombasa, an increase of 10 per cent from 370,570 visitors received last year. The increase came after Kenya introduced a visa-free policy at the beginning of the year to increase tourism and economic revenue.
The enhanced policy, announced early this week by President William Ruto, has been criticized due to cumbersome clearance processes, with an additional requirement of a $30 processing fee for the Electronic Travel Authorisation. In particular, the eTA has attracted criticism from heavy visitors from non-African countries as a prerequisite that contains extra paperwork and costs.
Visitor numbers, despite these challenges, remained according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. More than 400,000 visited for the first time in a decade. The month February had 146,442 arrivals, and the number decreased in March to 128,057.
The lowest arrivals in the first quarter within the past decade was 121,739 back in 2021, when COVID-19 travel restrictions were at their tightest. While this shift to a visa-free policy is in place to increase spending from visitors and help rally an economy, additional costs coupled with the short validity period are now making people question whether this eTA will actually have a negative effect on tourism.
The Kenya Association of Travel Agents has asked the government to remove the new eTA charges and to get rid of the provision that tourists prove their air tickets and hotel bookings in advance. The visitors will also be required to provide their travel dates in advance since the eTA will be valid for only 90 days, less than the period for the traditional visa.
Exemptions to the eTA are, however, granted to nationals from six African countries and foreign nationals employed by organisations such as the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund.
While the challenges still exist, tourism earnings reached a record Sh352.54 billion last year with 2.08 million tourists, from the 1.54 million received in the previous year. A rash of anti-government protests and fresh travel advisories issued by countries like UK, Canada and Ireland could however hurt visitors going forward.
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