Over the last six months, both airlines and individual countries themselves have been responding to an increased traveler interest in Africa.
United Airlines (UAL) and Delta (DAL) recently launched a spate of new flights to countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria from U.S. East Coast cities, while Kenya took the unusual step of formally getting rid of tourist visas to make it easier for visitors with any passport to come to the country for a short stay.
In April, Norse Atlantic Airways (NRSAF) also announced the world's first low-cost flight to Africa from another continent — a 5,188-mile route between London and Cape Town for a starting price of $620 in each direction instead of the upwards of $1,000 charged by British Airways and South African Airways.
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"One of the biggest markets in Africa with the biggest untapped potential is Nigeria," Airbus (EADSF) Airline Marketing Director Joep Ellers said earlier this year at the IATA Wings of Change Focus Africa conference in Johannesburg. "It is the most populous country and has one of the highest GDP, depending on who you talk to, so there is definitely a huge demand in Nigeria."
Ethiopia, other African countries change visa rules for short-term visitors
In a separate step to promote tourism to the area, the Ethiopian government just cut the cost of the electronic visa needed to enter the country from $82 USD to $62 USD.
The visa is required for those who want to come for short touristic visits of up to 30 days and was brought down from the 90-day period at the start of 2023 (those looking to stay for longer or do any kind of work in the country will require a different visa.)
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Similarly to the online visas and electronic authorizations required by other nations, those interested in coming to Ethiopia in this way need to enter passport details and where they plan to stay in the country in the online portal to be approved by a government worker (or, if nothing in the passport is flagged, automatically cleared online).
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"Under normal circumstances, the processing time for a tourist visa is three days," Ethiopia's Immigration and Citizenship Services writes on its website. "So, travelers should submit their application at least three days before their estimated date of arrival."
The new price is an adjustment from when the Ethiopian government raised the application fee for all visa categories by $30 in February 2023. Prices for other visa categories, including investment, journalist and work conference, remain the same.
Ethiopia's changes are part of a wider trend of African countries reworking their visa rules to attract more international tourists.
In May 2024, the governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe came together to announce the creation of a joint visa that would allow short-term international visitors to pass through the five countries without needing to apply for separate visas.
The visa would be expanded from an existing one that allows holders already in Zambia and Zimbabwe to take a day trip to certain popular tourist areas in Botswana.
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