New visa rules in Africa: Not a good encouragement for travel and tourism

A country like Uganda, in urgent need to grow tourist arrival numbers, especially at a time when elections, with all the negative perception about elections in Africa, are on the cards, would ordinari

A country like Uganda, in urgent need to grow tourist arrival numbers, especially at a time when elections, with all the negative perception about elections in Africa, are on the cards, would ordinarily be expected to make entries easier, lower the cost of visas, and reduce red tape.

Not so! Visa fees for most nationalities were doubled from US$50 to US$100 with literally no notice, leaving perplexed tourists on arrival cursing and ranting at their tour operators for not informing them in advance.

As if that’s not enough, it has now transpired that Uganda, very likely in reaction to South Africaโ€™s ridiculous visa requirements, has hit back at South African travelers by more than doubling their visa fees and adding a range of terms and conditions which, like in Kenya last year, will very likely see tourist arrivals from South Africa drop in numbers.

Making letters of invitation for business travelers mandatory is another measure which has raised eyebrows among travel agents and led to sharp condemnation of measures taken by both countries.

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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