Several talked to the Star and shared their disappointments on social media, accusing the government of 'fake promises', accusations vehemently denied by the state.
"Requirements for ETA are far worse than the previous visa regime. This is my sixth visit. Kenya is a beautiful country but the state should not lie to visitors,'' a German tourist Birgit Scovia who arrived in Diani on Saturday said.
She cites too much paperwork, a 72-hour wait for approval, and a hidden application fee of $34 (Sh5, 300) among other stiff neck bureaucracy experienced.
In a gazette notice in November 2023, the government through the Ministry of Interior and National Security announced that effectively this month, it would move to ETA, eliminating the tedious visa application process.
Addressing the public during the Jamhuri Day Celebration in Nairobi to mark Kenya's 60 years of independence, President Ruto reiterated his dedication to simplifying travel procedures, declaring that individuals worldwide will no longer bear the burden of applying for a visa to visit Kenya.
His assurance spurred confidence in the country's tourism sector, with various hotels, especially at the Coast announcing over 80 percent bookings till the end of the month.
To accommodate this high traffic coming via the country's capital city, local airlines, Kenya Airways and her sister Jambojet have been forced to add flights on the Nairobi to Mombasa and Diani.
So far, Jambojet is doing nine flights per day from Nairobi to Mombasa, four to Diani, five to Malindi, and one to Lamu. Kenya Airways added a single flight to the coastal city.
Hospitality sector expert Mohammed Hersi says that the optimism will fade away if the government fails to ensure an actual visa-free as promised.
"I am afraid eTA is NOT Visa-free and looking at the myriad of questions that potential visitor to Kenya has to answer is making it even more difficult,'' Hersi said.
He calls for immediate rectification of the confusion created.
"I am certain a review will be made but we should learn to get things right from the word go. It is said if you have nine hours to chop a tree, spend eight hours sharpening your axe. You cannot spend three hours sharpening the axe and wonder why you are on-site for days,'' he said on his X account.
He adds that 51 nationalities did not require visas before but now, only members of the East African Community are exempt from ETA.
Visitors from outside East Africa must apply for the eTA via www.etakenya.go.ke and pay a processing fee of $34.
All ETA applications must be submitted at least three days before travel to ensure adequate time for authorisation. However, travellers can submit their applications as early as three months before travel.
Documents needed for ETA application include: - a valid passport for at least six months after the planned date of arrival into Kenya with at least one blank page.
A traveller must also upload a selfie or passport-type photo, contact information, email address and phone number.
Others are details of arrival and departure itinerary, accommodation booking confirmation, credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or other means of payment.
A yellow fever certificate and other vaccination(s) or test results certificates can be needed based on the traveller’s country of residence and travel history.
Once submitted, an applicant waits for three working days for the approval to come through
"This is just too much. I prefer the previous visa regime. Why go through all this in the name of visa-free when they are tedious, time-consuming, and costly?'' a Melly Boateng, a German tourist at a Diani hotel told the Star on the phone.
Other foreigners took to social media platforms to register their frustrations.
"My friends applied for ETA, immigration services yelled at them saying they were not ready. Then they had to pay for a visa plus ETA. It was free for children under 14, now they have to pay. It doesn't give a good impression to tourists who visit tourists who have been sold a ''free visa'','' Elodie Cousin said on his X accounts.
Kenya hopes to attract at least five million tourists annually with the new policy.
Defending the move to ETA, Kenya says the process is less costly, quick and real-time.
Immigration PS Julius Bitok says the new system has created equal treatment and reduced fees for everyone coming to Kenya outside East Africa.
In a recent statement, Bitok said ETA provides passengers with information in advance hence early preparations.
He adds that there was no means of obtaining data to inform critical decisions and plans around security, infrastructure and insurance needs.
"With the introduction of ETA, we now have comprehensive data on all visitors, significantly improving our ability to ensure the security and well-being of both our visitors and citizens,'' Bitok said.
"We have made sure that traveling to Kenya is going to be an easy and pleasant experience. We have been receiving about 2 million tourists per year but we believe that with this policy shift, the numbers will double, to over 5 million per year," he said.
The implementation of the visa-free entry scheme comes as part of strategic efforts to revitalise Kenya’s tourism industry, which has been adversely affected by global travel restrictions in recent years.
Kenya earned $1.8 billion or (Sh282 billion) from tourism revenue in 2023, according to the government.
Bitok said once fully operational, Kenya aims to earn $9.5 billion (Sh1.5 trillion) from tourism revenue annually.
Africa is making strides in its visa openness policies boding well for cross-border travel, ease of movement and trade in 2024 and beyond.
The Africa Visa Openness Index 2023, published by AfDB reveals much progress since the seventh edition of the report was published in December 2022.
The Visa openness achieved its highest score ever in 2023, surpassing levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries.
Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia and Seychelles have abolished visas for citizens from all African countries.
