EAC's cocktail of yellow fever, violence and domestic tourism

It is that time of the year where the decent thing to say to those you meet is, Happy Easter. It is more of a ritual and many don’t give it much thought when saying it or receiving because that is just how rituals are set up. You give and receive. No questions. However if you are in the tourism business I genuinely do hope that you are having a happy Easter Holiday. Of late, my list of friends includes some key movers and pushers in the regional tourism business from drivers of those monster tour trucks, tour operators, hotel managers as well as board members of national tourism boards. The happiness I am talking about here is not the usual hugs and smiles from your family members but impressive activity regarding your trade - tourism. You see the Easter holiday is the first major holiday in the year that the tourism business can benefit from. From Good Friday to Easter Sunday and Monday for those who have it as a holiday as well. And although the Easter holiday is never as big as the Christmas one, it is still a good opportunity for people to give themselves a treat and leave tourism operators smiling to the bank. The tourism I am talking about here is domestic and regional tourism because it peaks during such times. In fact I think it is fair to say that during Christmas for example there are only two kinds of tourism movements, some head out to tour their ancestral homes often in the villages while others head out to commercial tourism spots like beach areas and any place offering some form of entertainment or relaxation experience. If you are in the tourism business and this season has passed you by, then there are things you are not doing right. You see domestic/regional tourism is a huge opportunity that many players used to ignore while banking only on the tourists that come from far lands. The tide is now changing and many are recognising the wisdom in appreciating the value of local/regional clients. There is a tour company in Kenya that seems to have nailed this domestic tourism thing properly. During this Easter season they have been bragging of having over 3500 Kenyans travelling with them to see different tourism areas. Imagine how their bank balance looks like right now and how many other businesses they have made happy by linking them to these 3500 Kenyans. This company has over 50,000 followers on Twitter and their Facebook page has 132,000 likes. They have greatly employed social media to market their attractive packages and engage with prospective clients. I won’t mention them here for that would be a free advert but they offer a good case study of how lucrative domestic tourism can be. Tourism in East Africa may generally be affected by the recent cases of yellow fever reported in Kenya and traced to Angola where the situation is much worse. Another outbreak is being traced to the Democratic Republic of Congo which is a big neighbour of EAC. Regular travellers to Tanzania know that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is a must once you get to Julius Nyerere International Airport or their border crossings regardless of where you are coming from. I recently had to get the jab (which takes effect in ten days) before a trip to Magufuli’s land. It felt like a bother but the consolation is that the certificate is valid for ten years just like my passport. Now other East African countries like Uganda are also asking for that yellow booklet and we all know how it adds to other non-tariff barriers to travel in the region. It must be pointed out though that the new requirement by Uganda is for travellers from high risk yellow fever countries and not everyone who lands at Entebbe International Airport. I just hope this situation doesn’t last. Another issue that brings pain to my heart this Easter season is the volatile situation in the Rwenzori region of Uganda. The Uganda media has been awash with worrying reports of violence in this region over what seems to be a toxic blend of land grievances, political marginalisation, and disagreements over new districts and new kingdoms. This is clearly not good news for a region that is a key tourism spot for Uganda. The wanton loss of human lives there is really disturbing and peace should prevail as soon as possible.

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EAC's cocktail of yellow fever, violence and domestic tourism