TOURISM
02-09-2021 by Freddie del Curatolo
The good news is that at last, after months of appeals, requests, pressure and meetings at various levels, the Italian Minister for Tourism, Mr Garavaglia, has decided to submit a proposal to his government to open a number of 'Covid-free' corridors to allow Italians to go on holiday next winter to the exotic destinations which, before the pandemic, were one of the dreams and attractions for thousands of his fellow countrymen.
The bad news is that, as we had already predicted (but hoping for a reversal of the trend), Kenya is not included in the list of possible destinations.
As the main online travel magazines write, the corridors would concern the Red Sea, Maldives, Seychelles, Dominican Republic, Aruba and, even more depressing for Kenya, the island of Zanzibar.
"The aim would be to ensure safe channels from boarding at the airport to arrival at the tourist facility," travel agencies write on their websites, "This would allow operators to promote trips to certain limited destinations, even when there is a ban on tourism.
But that's not all, according to what has been leaked by the Ministry, the countries included in this possible opening, although they are currently included in list E, of the countries where tourism is banned and on return from which a 10-day quarantine period must be observed, could instead be included in group D, which has recently been opened to tourism, precisely under certain conditions and only for Green Pass holders, but without fiduciary isolation on return. And for the type of tourism that frequents Kenya, it would mean being able to leave again soon in good style.
The conditions are clear: if countries cannot guarantee percentages close to 50% of vaccinated people (and this can hardly be guaranteed, with the exception of small countries such as the Maldives and Seychelles, for example), at least all tour operators must be vaccinated, from those at airports to transfers, hotel employees and any safari guides and camps in the savannah. But winter holidays will be considered above all as "bathing" and within the structures.
But Kenya, as mentioned, is not mentioned, despite our insistence to consider the saving amount of work and possible earnings that the return of tourism to destinations that largely depend on Italians would bring.
The reasons for this are to be found in various factors: first of all, the destinations examined are fairly limited: with the possible exception of Santo Domingo, which is an island but large enough and with the possibility of mixing with the local population, the other exotic paradises are islands such as the Maldives and Seychelles, used to hotel and beach tourism, which can easily guarantee a "bubble" by vaccinating all tourism operators. The same applies to the individual destinations on the Red Sea, from Sharm El Sheikh to Hurgada and Marsa Alam, where the Egyptian government is already well advanced with the immunisation of all those working in the hospitality sector.
However, Nairobi is not blameless: the slowness of the vaccination process and the lack of priority, after health workers and police, to those who work in tourism, have made it more difficult to realize the requests of the tourism industry, especially Italian and the various appeals, including ours with you readers of the portal of Italians in Kenya.
Now the ball is in the court of Health Minister Hope and Prime Minister Draghi. There are two months to implement this proposal, but also to try to get Kenyan coastal destinations on the list. On the other hand, one would expect initiatives at the County level, as well as from the local Ministry of Tourism, but for now, as rock-jazz group Area used to sing, 'all is silent'.
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