Pandemic
Covid-19’s Third Wave Dashes Hope of Tourism Revival in By Albert Kasembeli
IT IS THE HIGH SEASON across east Africa’s national parks. But for the second year in a row, the plains remain unusually quiet. Despite hopes of a revival in the tourism sector after a difficult 2020, the region’s industry is still struggling to get back on its feet due to a third wave of Covid-19 sweeping across the continent. A recent UN report shows that East Africa’s tourism decline will contribute to a loss of 9.3% to the region’s economy this year. It will be the second most impacted region in the world, after Central America, and the worst affected in Africa.
East Africa’s tourism hotspots are open to visitors, but Covid-19 measures are keeping them at bay In June 2021, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa said that the continent had seen “a rapid increase in the number of cases.” Uganda and Rwanda have implemented lockdowns, while a curfew remains in place in Kenya. Despite this, East Africa remains open to international travel. However, news of the lockdown has kept tourists at bay. The Hotel Owners Association in Uganda said nearly 90% 52
July-August 2021
o bookings were canceled of ssince it was announced. The ccountry has also banned intrad district travel and put in place a additional measures that will essentially curb domestic e ttourism. We vaccinated all our key sstaff. We have created safe zzones within the tourism industry. Tourists are telling u us they want to come but their ccountries are telling them not tto. Governments across Europe have enforced strict travel rrestrictions to East Africa. The entire region features on the e UK’s ‘red list’, meaning tourists returning from East Africa must undertake a mandatory hotel quarantine for 10 days. The UK is a significant market for the region’s tourism industry. “We need Kenya to be removed from those red lists because people are scared there is a serious outbreak,” Mike Macharia, the chairman of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers, told Quartz. “We vaccinated all our key staff. We have created safe zones within the tourism industry. Tourists are telling us they want to come but their countries are telling them not to.”
East Africa’s tourism workers are struggling to survive This recent wave is another blow for the sector, which suffered heavily during the first outbreak in 2020. A report by the East African Business Community (EABC) revealed that 2.1 million jobs were lost, while partner states estimate they lost international tourism receipts to the tune of $4.8 billion. This has a significant impact on the region’s overall economy, which relies heavily on tourism. It
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