All passengers traveling to Kenya who are not visa-exempt are required to apply & obtain eVisa prior to entry into Kenya. The eVisa can be obtained through www.evisa.go.ke portal.
Passengers should not have a persistent cough, difficulty in breathing, body temperature above 37.5°C (99.5°F) or other flu-like symptoms. Those presenting these symptoms will be quarantined.
Passengers from the following countries will be exempt from quarantine if they meet the 2 requirements above: Canada, South Korea, Namibia, Uganda, China, Rwanda, Morocco, Japan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Switzerland, United States of America (except for California, Florida and Texas), United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Italy, Qatar & United Arab Emirates.
Tanzania
All arriving passengers are required to present a negative certificate of a PCR Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours before arrival to Tanzania.
All travelers are required to truthfully fill in an online traveler’s surveillance form available at https://afyamsafiri.moh.go.tz/ within 24 hours before arrival to Tanzania.
Departing or arriving passengers will be subject to enhanced screening for Covid-19 infection including a Rapid Test for those arriving from countries with a high number of Covid-19 cases. The cost of the Rapid test is USD25 per traveler.
All passengers arriving from countries with new covid-19 variants based on WHO daily updates or those who have transited through those countries in the last 14 days regardless of the route taken will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at their own cost.
Travelers subjected to the mandatory quarantine will choose a place from the list of designated hotels by the government. Returning residents will be allowed to isolate themselves in their homes.
Burundi
A certificate of a negative Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours before boarding is required for departing & arriving passengers.
All arriving passengers will be required to take two Covid-19 tests, the first test will be conducted on arrival at a cost of USD100 for foreigners and USD30 for nationals. (Refugees and students are exempt for Covid-19 testing fees). The second test will be performed on the 6th day in the designated hotels for free.
Arriving passengers are subject to a mandatory 4 days quarantine in designated hotels at their own cost. Travelers should book hotels online in advance at: www.booking.tourisme.gov.bi
All arriving passengers must dispose their used masks in designated waste collection containers at the airport.
Rwanda
All travelers arriving or transiting in Rwanda must have a negative COVID-19 certificate. The only accepted test is a SARS-CoV 2 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) performed within 72 hours prior to departure time. Other tests, such as Rapid Diagnostics Test (RDTs), are not accepted. A Covid-19 test is not mandatory for accompanied children under 5 years.
Passengers arriving or transiting in Rwanda are required to complete a passenger locator form (PLF) https://www.rbc.gov.rw/travel and upload the Covid-19 test certificate before heading to the airport. Those whose final destination is Kigali are required to book a hotel for 24 hours from the list of designated transit hotels available here.
A second Covid-19 PCR test will be conducted for passengers whose final destination is Rwanda or transiting for up to 24 hours through Kigali at a cost of 60USD. The sample collection will be conducted at the airport upon arrival and waiting for results will be at the designated transit hotels.
Passengers transiting/connecting who are not leaving the airport and those who will leave the airport to go to the designated transit hotels for less than 24 hours will be not be required to take a second test. This is not applicable for transiting travelers by lands, who will be tested using RT-PCR test and wait for results at the designated transit hotels before proceeding.
A negative certificate of a PCR Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours of departure time is mandatory for all passengers departing from Rwanda. Travelers are advised to check test validity requirements at their transit and destination.
Travelers from neighboring countries planning to start their international journey from Rwanda will be screened at the borders and taken to transit hotels where they will be tested for Covid-19. They are encouraged to arrive at the designated hotels at least 48 hours prior to departure time.
Uganda
All arriving passengers are required to present a negative certificate of a PCR Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours before arrival to Tanzania.
All travelers are required to truthfully fill in an online traveler’s surveillance form available at https://afyamsafiri.moh.go.tz/ within 24 hours before arrival to Tanzania.
Departing or arriving passengers will be subject to enhanced screening for Covid-19 infection including a Rapid Test for those arriving from countries with a high number of Covid-19 cases. The cost of the Rapid test is USD25 per traveler.
All passengers arriving from countries with new covid-19 variants based on WHO daily updates or those who have transited through those countries in the last 14 days regardless of the route taken will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at their own cost.
Travelers subjected to the mandatory quarantine will choose a place from the list of designated hotels by the government. Returning residents will be allowed to isolate themselves in their homes.
South Sudan
1. Suspension of visa on arrival facilities for passengers with a normal passport.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda;
– foreign nationals of South Sudan origin.
2. Passengers must have a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 96 hours before arrival. The test result must be in Arabic or English.
– This does not apply to nationals of South Sudan and foreign nationals of South Sudan origin.
3. Passengers are subject to quarantine or self-isolation for 14 days.
1. IMPACT OF COVID-19
According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) fell by 85% globally in 2020 over the same period in 2019, curbed by slow virus containment, low traveller confidence and important restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Africa saw an 80% drop in 2020.
In the EAC Community Burundi saw a 70% decline in arrivals from 300,000 arrivals in 2019 to 90,000 arrivals in 2020. Kenyan tourism sector got a 72% decline in arrivals, from 2,049,000 arrivals in 2019 to 568,000 in 2020. Rwanda arrivals dropped by 69.7% with 1,632,000 arrivals in 2019 to 473,000 in 2020. Tanzania saw 64.9% drop in arrivals, from 1,527,000 arrivals in 2019 to 537,000 in 2020. Uganda received 473,000 arrivals in 2020 from 1,543,000 arrivals in 2019 marking a 69.3% decline.
2. Effects of COVID-19 on regional Tourism business
Some of the critical issues in the private sector as observed by the EATP across the region include; reduced international tourists’ bookings and cancellations for existing bookings, low business even after reopening of tourism and airports, low capital to get back the business to normal operations, eviction from premises for some businesses due to unpaid costs, further loss of revenues, increased job losses, challenges in maintaining overheads, total business closure, increased borrowings to sustain businesses, increased marketing activities and thus increased costs of running the businesses.
These are critical challenges across the region that the EATP members face that need to be addressed in collaboration with different stakeholders.
3. STATUS OF REGIONAL TOURISM
Africa’s return to recovery after a tough year is predicted to start in 2021. However, the EAC hotel occupancies were at shallow levels in 2020 at around 20%. There is still a very fragmented recovery for each destination in the region in the first quarter of 2021. According to STR Data, regional hotel occupancy, January 2021 to March 2021 were still between 20-30%, while Africa’s occupancy is at an average of 33%. These data show that the pandemic is far from over, and ring-fencing crucial export sectors from lockdown measures are still necessary.
A lack of harmonized strategy, standards and protocols is still affecting regional tourism. Although most EAC countries have the necessary COVID-19 prevention plans and travel health guidelines, they vary from country to country. As a result, they are a deterrent for encouraging the resumption of regional travel and boosting travelers’ confidence.
With the COVIID-19 vaccine rollout in the region, we’ve noticed the tourism industry players prioritized in member countries, giving hope for the sector’s quick rebound.
