Politics and policy
Foreigners in possession of a valid work or residence permit in Kenya,
Rwanda and Uganda will be given an East Africa Tourism visa valid for
six months. Photo/FILE
By XINHUA
In Summary
- The East Africa Tourism visa, which came into force early this year, resulted from a joint initiative and decision made by the heads of state of the respective countries.
Foreigners in possession of a valid work or residence
permit in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda will be given an East Africa Tourism
visa valid for six months.
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The decision was reached by the heads of tourism bodies in the three States and was announced on Sunday.
The East Africa Tourism visa, which came into force
early this year, resulted from a joint initiative and decision made by
the heads of state of the respective countries.
The cross-border visa between the three northern
corridor states, which costs $100 (Ksh 8,755) and is valid for 90 days
for a foreigner, will now cost the same and be extended for six months
for foreign residents residing in any of the states, according to a
statement.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) Managing Director
Muriithi Ndegwa said the preferential treatment to foreigners in the
member states would entice them to tour and extend their stay within the
northern corridor states.
"These expatriates form (the) bulk of travellers in
any destination and the six-month-long tourism visa will go a long way
in tapping into this potential group," Mr Ndegwa is quoted as saying in
the statement.
The Rwanda Development Board's head of department
in charge of Tourism and Conservation, Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi,
explained that any foreign holder of the East Africa Tourist visa will
move freely to and from any of the countries of residence to visit
without having to pay for an extra visa for a period of six months.
"Therefore, they have a longer period to visit any
of the tourism products in any or all the states combined. This is also a
good opportunity for our tour operators to offer experience packages
and itineraries combining the three countries."
Uganda Tourism Board's Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Asiimwe hailed the move as a great development for tourism in
the region and regional cooperation.
"The preferential treatment initiative means
increased business for hotels, airlines, travel operators, the service
industry and jobs for our people.
The residents also get to sample and have an
experiential taste of the great variety of the wildlife, culture,
history and heritage that the region has to offer," Mr Asiimwe said.
The introduction of the visa will enhance the
tourist product offering in the three countries and as a result increase
the number of tourists to the three countries that have a diversity of
experiences to explore.
Between January and March this year, Rwanda
received 305,752 visitors and earned $75.1 million compared with 291,418
visitors and revenues of $71.5 million in the same period last year,
representing a 5 per cent increase.
The noticeable increase in the number of travellers
from the region could partly be attributed to the visa initiative as
well as better and diversified packages in all the three countries.
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