Visitor arrivals via the country’s two major airports in the first three months of the year hit the highest level in at least a decade, coinciding with a visa-free policy that took effect at the start of 2024.
Official data shows that 409,164 visitors touched down in the country via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport in Mombasa, marking a jump of 10 percent from 370,570 visitors recorded last year.
The rise came at a time Kenya effected a visa-free policy for all visitors in a bid to grow numbers and boost earnings.
But the policy, announced by President William Ruto has come under criticism due to hectic clearance processes and the requirement to pay $30 (Sh3,920 at current exchange rates) processing fee to be cleared under the electronic travel authorization (ETA).
An analysis of the official data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the number of visitors in the first three months of this year is the first time that it crossed the 400,000 mark.
Visitors through the two airports stood at 146,442 in February this year but the number dropped to 128,057 in March.
The lowest number of visitors in a decade in the first three months of a year was 121,739 recorded in 2021, a time when the Coronavirus travel restrictions were still in place.
The visa-free policy is founded on expectation that the high number of visitors will lead to higher spending.
But it is the eTA that has sparked off complaints especially for frequent visitors from non-African countries.
Experts have also warned that the eTA is likely to negate the anticipated benefits of the visa-free policy.
In March this year, the Kenya Association of Travel Agents decried the fresh costs and increased paperwork associated with eTA, with travellers also required to share proof of air ticket and hotel booking.
When applying for eTA, visitors must provide their arrival and departure dates days before their travel.
The eTA is for single entry and is valid for 90 days, which is a shorter period than that of visas, significantly inconveniencing frequent visitors who have traditionally stayed in the country for long periods.
Kenya however exempted several at least six African countries from the eTA.
Additionally, foreigners working under the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund headline a list of those exempted from paying the eTA fees.
Increased visitor numbers are set to further drive the country’s earnings from tourism, from the record high of Sh352.54 billion recorded last year.
Last year, some 2.08 million tourists visited the country up from 1.54 million who came a year earlier.
But the visitor numbers from June this year are likely to have been impacted by the anti-government protests that rocked Kenya.
The protests prompted several countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland to issue travel advisories to their citizens visiting Kenya.
