US lowers travel restrictions to Kenya

The tourism sector can breathe a sigh of relief after the United States lowered Kenya’s travel advisory level to two, down from four, adjusting travel guidance for vaccinated Americans in the process.

In a notice dated June 8, 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice for Kenya due to Covid-19, indicating a moderate level of Covid-19 in the country.

The move is good news not only to the tourism sector that was affected by the earlier advisory but also to the Kenyan market.

In April, the US retained the highest travel advisory on Kenya following what said was the steep rise in Covid-19 cases in the country, as advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The move was a major blow to the tourism sector, considering that the US is the leading international tourist market source for Kenya.

Investment firm–Cytonn had decried that the move by both the UK and USA was expected to result in a decline in the number of tourist arrivals, as the two markets are key sources.

The latest data from the Tourism Research Institute (TRI) shows US and UK were ranked as second and fourth highest source markets for tourists in Kenya, respectively from January to October 2020, with 53,444 tourists from the US and 42,341 tourists from the UK.

The US travel advisory on listing Kenya at Level Four came days after the UK added Kenya on its ‘Red List’, saying it had established the lethal South African coronavirus variant is spreading locally, with the country having a high rate of Covid-19 infections.

In its advisory, the US has also cautioned its citizens from traveling along the Kenya-Somalia border and some coastal areas due to terrorism, and areas of Turkana County due to crime.

Also, US citizens have been asked to be careful when visiting the Nairobi neighborhoods of Eastleigh and Kibera at all times due to crime and kidnapping.

 “Be especially careful when traveling after dark anywhere in Kenya due to crime,” part of the advisory notice reads.