Travel/Tourism
William Ruto, A Threat to Kenyan Tourism Industry?
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
By description, Kenya, at least, has a palpable difference in tourism features compared with its neighbours in the East African Community (EAC), which is an intergovernmental organization composed of seven countries in the region.
Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda enjoy, to a considerable extent, relative peace and stability in the region. Determined to ensure an increasing flow of tourists, travellers and visitors to Kenya, the government supports with consistency the tourism industry by adopting flexible rules and regulations.
Up until late November 2023, Kenya maintained strict visa requirements for all foreign and African travellers to the country. But President William Ruto wanted to change the rules by announcing visa-free, first to show off his burgeoning dreams of transforming the economy, an important commitment towards improving the industry, a position that went viral on many social media platforms and across the world.
It could also be described as an attempt to attract more visitors to the wild nature with vast surrounding forests and the fascinating geographical landscape. As I research and read through reports, Kenya is seriously addressing unique challenges and setting the stage for the future. Kenya has seen a strong performance in tourism, with figures constantly rising. In 2022 for instance, Kenya’s tourism performance continued on a recovery path after the Covid-19 pandemic which engulfed it. International tourist arrivals were 1.5 million approximately which represents a 70.45% increase as compared to 2021 arrivals of 870,500.
The government continues prioritizing the promotion of regional tourism to enhance the performance of the African markets. It focuses further on the development of niche products such as cruise tourism, adventure tourism, culture and sports tourism. The development of niche products has a huge potential to boost competitiveness and the value of our tourism. Undoubtedly, tourism in Kenya is the second-largest source of foreign exchange revenue following agriculture.
The Kenyan highlands are one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. The highlands are the site of the highest point in Kenya and the second highest peak on the continent: Mount Kenya, which reaches a height of 5,199 m (17,057 ft) and is the site of glaciers. Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m or 19,341 ft) can be seen from Kenya to the south of the Tanzanian border. Besides these, the “Big Five” game animals of Africa, that is the lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant, can be found in Kenya and in the Masai Mara in particular.
→ What’s happening? Late last year, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that Kenya would drop visa requirements for all citizens from around the world. The move was forecast to accelerate tourist arrivals to 2.5 million from 1.5 million in 2022 and boost Kenya’s tourism revenues by 200%.
→ How has this played out? The rollout of the new visa-free regime has been marred by confusion, lack of information, and complaints from travellers around the world.
→ How is it supposed to work? Kenya replaced visa applications with Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for all travellers to the country, except those from within the East African Community (EAC). As of Jan. 7, close to 10,000 ETA applications had been received with 4,046 approved.
→ So what’s wrong with the new system? Prior to the switch, Kenya had visa-free agreements with 51 countries, many of them in Africa. Visitors from these countries, who previously only needed their passports to enter Kenya, now have to apply for the ETA, including paying a $34 fee and submitting information including bank statements, hotel bookings, and flight details.
→ Who’s most concerned about this in Kenya? Players in the travel and hospitality sector are worried that the switch and the associated tedious process and costs may turn away tourists from Kenya as a destination.
→ What’s the government’s response? Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the new process had cut visa processing times from 14 days to 72 hours for the ETA, provided equal treatment for all visitors, and lowered visa application costs from $50 to $34.
In conclusion and on a bit of politics and demography – the population was estimated at 51.5 million in 2023. On 13 September 2022, William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president after winning 50.5% of the vote. His main rival, Raila Odinga, got 48.8% of the vote. Kenya has close ties with its fellow Swahili-speaking neighbours in the African Great Lakes region. One advantage is that Kenya’s relations with Uganda and Tanzania are generally strong, as the three countries work toward economic and social integration through common membership in the East African Community. *With additional reporting from Martin Siele in Nairobi, Kenya.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
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