Kenya to woo Asian tourists with EA single visa

Kenya plans to market the East African single tourist visa during this year’s Japan tourism fair, in its bid to grow tourist numbers.

The East Africa Tourism visa, which came into force early this year, ensued from a joint initiative and decision made by the presidents of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, a move that left out Tanzania and Burundi, the other East African Community (EAC) member states.

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have accused Tanzania for being an obstacle in the development of the East African Community, allegations Dar es Salaam government has dismissed saying the three countries are fond of making decisions at the EAC without consulting other member states.

READ: Three EAC States to use joint visa from January

The cross-border visa, valid for 90 days, allows tourists visiting Kenya, Uganda or Rwanda entry into any of the three countries that issues the visa and move freely within the other two without seeking additional travel documents.

The Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Tourism Expo, the largest tourism exhibition in Asia, will be held on September 23-28 in Tokyo.

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) managing director Muriithi Ndegwa noted that Japan is Kenya’s third Asian source market after India and China, and the plan is to grow the market share.

“Japan has tremendous growth potential given that 16.5 million Japanese engage in outbound travel annually. KTB is seeking to increase Kenya’s market share by continuously positioning the country as the ideal tourism destination in Africa,” said Mr Ndegwa.

Uganda and Rwanda will also be exhibiting at the JATA expo, which will offer the three states an opportunity to strengthen their distribution channels in the Japanese market and increase visibility.

KTB is partnering with the Kenya Embassy in Japan and four Kenyan trade members to showcase its tourist attractions and cultures.