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In an effort to draw in tourists, some nations are moving toward scrapping visas entirely. And so is Kenya, which after getting rid of visas for fellow Africa nations last October, the country has just announced that anyone regardless of nationality will be able to come to the country without a visa.
"It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya," Kenyan President William Ruto announced in a Dec. 12 speech celebrating the country's 60-year independence from Great Britain.The visas will be replaced by an electronic travel authorization (ETA) that one applies for online rather than at the embassy in advance of one's trip.While significantly easier than the latter, countries that have this type of ETA generally require it for everyone regardless of nationality while those with passports who had visa-free agreements did not previously need to do anything extra.The countries making up the European Union are currently fine-tuning its European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) that will require Americans and other holders of non-EU passports to apply for travel authorization online before one's trip as well as Entry-Exit System (EES) meant to replace passport stamps to track how non-nationals have stayed in the EU.The U.S. has had its own Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for visitors from the EU and other visa-exempt countries in place since 2008 (visitors from nearby countries like Canada and Mexico do not need one.)Travelers seeking safaris and African culture make up a significant part of Kenya's economy and have increased rapidly since the pandemic.In 2022, income from international visitors soared by more than 83% to $2.13 billion USD since the previous year and local officials have been taking steps to ensure the trend continues by promoting the country as a top tourist destination.
While North American visitors made up the largest portion of international arrivals, Kenya has also been seeing an increasing stream of tourists from China, Japan as well as nearby African countries such as Tanzania and Uganda."Kenya has a simple message to humanity: welcome home," Ruto said as part of the same Nairobi speech.
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.* Follow Us
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