Kenyan President William Ruto has received encouraging data on the influx of tourism in Kenya regarding 2024 and could not help but consider that the sector is not only expanding, after the hard years of the pandemic, but that foreign currency remittances into the country have given a breath of fresh air to the shaky economy that his government is trying to get back on track.
Thanks to the 15% increase in arrivals compared to the previous year, with 2.4 million entries, and all the related activities that a foreign tourist can bring (hotels, restaurants, safaris, souvenirs and more), the hospitality sector, which usually represents about 10% of the Kenyan Gross Domestic Product, can actually help much more.
Ruto has already stated that he will consider facilitating the process for those who choose Kenya as a holiday destination, starting with the simplification of entry procedures. The introduction of the eTA, the electronic travel authorisation that replaced the old online visa on 1 January 2024, was already a step in this direction. After 12 months of implementation, the eTA is now sent to the applicant a few hours after the request is made.
There are other possibilities to consider, to increase the flow of tourists and reach the ambitious goal of 5 million arrivals by 2027: first of all, to grant more landing permits to the airlines that have requested them, then concessions for those who want to stay longer and therefore will spend and maybe even invest in the country.
Among these are smart workers, for whom an ad hoc permit has been designed but not yet finalised to establish themselves as residents or spend a few months a year in Kenya, working remotely like many ‘digital nomads’ they do nowadays, without having to feel like tourists, and as suggested by the Italian entrepreneur and consultant to the Ministry of Tourism, Roberto Marini, also the elimination of residence costs for pensioners over 65.
Nothing like the results and the scent of profits can encourage the government to decide that it is time to invest (or to give up the ‘everything now’ approach in favour of a more long-term vision) in the future of tourism and to give benefits to those who choose Kenya. All we can do is follow the story and do our part, as our institutions and enlightened entrepreneurs often do behind the scenes, such as, in addition to Marini, Roberto Lenzi and Pasquale and Daniele Tiritò of Watamu.