(The Southern African Times) – Travellers from Kenya will now be allowed into the United Kingdom from next week after Britain revised its Covid-19 travel list in a fresh boost for tourism, which is currently in its peak season.
The UK moved Kenya from its Red List to Amber along with seven other countries –Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman, and Bangladesh.
Travellers arriving in the UK from countries on the Red List are denied entry while returning Britons must submit to 10 days of mandatory quarantine in hotels. UK nationals are barred from travelling to those countries.
Kenya was placed in the Red List in April following the spread of the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant in the country, dealing a blow to the tourism sector.
The revision, announced by British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Friday, offers a boost to the Kenyan hospitality industry, whose tourism season traditionally peaks from July to September, coinciding with the country’s dry season and the world-renowned migration of wildebeest and zebra through Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
Kenya is a popular tourism destination for Britons, with the UK ranking fourth for the fourth largest arrivals through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in 2019.
