Kenya's tourism industry has taken a hit from massive cancellations in the international markets as hitches on the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system continues.
This has seen both the private sector and government miss on revenue, as for the second month visitors are unable to get approvals to travel to Kenya.
All visitors including infants and children who intend to travel to Kenya must have an approved eTA before the start of their journey, in a new system that came into place on January 5, 2024 replacing the traditional visa.
It comes at a non-refundable fee of $30 (Sh3,877 at the current exchange rate), and it is mandatory before arrival including for visa-exempt travellers.
Technical hitches and system errors reported include payment processing errors, server timeout, browser compatibility challenges and abrupt session expiration.
The industry has reported massive cancellation of bookings by international tourists keen on visiting Kenya both for leisure and work, but have failed to secure the critical travel document. While the hitch is being experienced across the international space, some of the key markets Kenya stands to lose out big on include the US, Italy, India, Germany, China and France which are top international sources.
According to the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF), there has been system instability since the start of last month after the government carried out an upgrade.
“The ETA has been experiencing persistent crashes deterring travel to Kenya. This will inevitably lead to cancellations and last-minute itinerary changes,” KTF said in a statement by its chairman Fred Odek and CEO Susan Ongalo.
There are also concerns over inadequate customer care where applicants have consistently complained about being unable to get real-time assistance when challenges arise and lack of an effective dedicated channel for emergency assistance.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Odek said: “They tried to do a system update last month and that is where the problems started. Applicants are facing different issues with the system, it is sporadic across the markets.”
Odek who also doubles as the Kenya Association of Tour Operators said operators and clients are starting to report revenue losses due to delayed or cancelled bookings, which is also eroding client trust that could affect future bookings.
The hotel industry has also reported cancellations amid concerns Kenya could lose to her competition mainly Tanzania and South African countries which offer similar products, mainly beach and Safari.
“The situation is bad…things are not working. We have engaged immigration they say the system is working, our clients say it is not. It has been a very rough time and clients are frustrated. If we are not able to do it, then we will lose out to other markets,” Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers CEO Mike Macharia told the Star.
Last month’s system upgrade came after a January Cabinet review of a report by a Working Group on Kenya’s Visa-Free Regime set in December 2024. It adopted recommendations on improving the system.
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