A growing intra-African tourism industry is “made possible by rising incomes, growing flight coverage, and loosening visa requirements,” reports The Doomslayer.
The New York Times reports:
The number of tourists visiting African countries grew by almost 8 percent last year — the fastest growth in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This surge isn’t being driven only by visitors from Europe or Asia. It’s being driven in large part, experts say, by a growing African middle class that is exploring the continent for the first time. And the most visible travelers — millennials and Gen Z-ers — are changing African ideas about leisure, travel and even Africa itself.
Historically, the odds have been stacked against leisure travel here. Most Africans still need visas to visit other African countries. Flights, too, are a challenge. Prices for flights within Africa are some of the highest in the world, and there are few direct ones.
But both issues have been improving in recent years.
Demand for air travel within Africa has been growing, and the more demand, the more airlines can put in place better routes. New airlines have sprung up across Africa; a journey from Accra, Ghana, to Johannesburg that once had to go through London or Dubai can now connect through, say, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…
And many countries, including Benin, Gambia, Kenya, Ghana and others, have scrapped visas for African passport holders in recent years. That shift has been a game changer.
Some wealthier African countries historically had visa requirements to prevent illegal immigration from poorer African countries. Kenya did not want poor migrants from neighboring countries like Ethiopia and Somalia. But some of its neighbors, such as Ethiopia and Tanzania, are not as poor and hungry as they used to be, making it possible to remove visa requirements.
Botswana, one of the wealthiest African nations, permits visa-free travelers from its poorer neighbors, Zambia and Zimbabwe, because they are part of the Commonwealth (countries formerly governed by the United Kingdom).
Gabon, one of the wealthier African nations, lets citizens of three relatively affluent African countries — South Africa, Mauritius, and Morocco — enter Gabon visa-free for stays of up to 30 days. It also lets in travelers from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. But Gabon doesn’t have a border with the two poorest of these countries (Central African Republic and Chad), so travelers from these countries have to have enough money to fly in to get to Gabon.
Ethiopia is building a major new airport, but much of its traffic is expected to be connecting flights, not people vacationing in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has strikingly beautiful mountains, but it has rebellions and uprisings in many places, making it hazardous to travel in those regions.
The U.S. State Department warns people not to travel to Ethiopia outside its capital area, where the new airport is being constructed:
Reconsider travel to Ethiopia due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, crime, communications disruptions, terrorism and kidnapping in border areas.
Do Not Travel To:
- Tigray Region and border with Eritrea due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, and crime.
- Afar-Tigray border areas due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, and crime.
- Amhara Region due to sporadic violent conflict and civil unrest.
- Gambella and Benishangul Gumuz Regions due to crime, kidnapping, ethnically motivated violence, and sporadic violent conflict
- Oromia Region – Specific areas due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, and ethnically motivated violence.
- Southern Nations and National People (SNNP) Region due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, and ethnically motivated violence.
- Border area with Somalia due to terrorism, kidnapping, and landmines.
- Border areas with Sudan, and South Sudan due to crime, kidnapping, civil unrest, and sporadic violent conflict.
- Border areas with Kenya due to the potential for terrorism and ethnically motivated violence.
The security situation in Addis Ababa is stable. However, there is sporadic violent conflict and civil unrest in other areas of Ethiopia, and the security situation may deteriorate without warning. The U.S. Embassy is unlikely to be able to assist with departure from the country if the security situation deteriorates. Due to sporadic violent conflict and civil unrest throughout parts of Ethiopia, travel by U.S. government personnel is routinely assessed for additional restrictions.
