Tourism industry raises concerns over ETA system delays

Kenya Tourism Board CEO June Chepkemei gives her remarks during the inaugural meeting of the Kenya Adventure Tourism Product Club. [File, Standard]

Tourism industry stakeholders have raised concerns over the frequent downtimes affecting the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, warning that if the issues are not addressed, they could have costly repercussions for the industry and Kenya's economy.

Kenya introduced the ETA system last year, requiring visitors to obtain authorisation before entry. It replaced the previous visa system and was intended to provide a fairer, faster, and more reliable service while addressing the country's security and strategic interests.

However, the system has been plagued by numerous issues, making it difficult for many travellers coming to Kenya.

The Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) stated that since the rollout and subsequent upgrade of the ETA system, persistent technical failures have led to losses for the industry and damaged Kenya's reputation as a tourist destination.

"Following the recent system upgrade to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), KTF wishes to express grave concerns over the current technical failures.

For the better part of the month, these disruptions have caused significant inconvenience to travellers and tourism stakeholders, necessitating an urgent resolution," the federation said in a statement.

KTF, which represents various sector associations, noted that the ETA system has been unstable, experiencing frequent crashes that could eventually deter travel to Kenya.

"Whilst we fully appreciate that the Government's intention was to modernise the ETA platform, the prolonged system inefficiencies have resulted in financial losses, reputational damage, and operational paralysis across the tourism sector.

Numerous travellers, including tourists and business visitors, have faced ETA application delays, payment failures, or system blackouts with no clear resolution pathway."

Although immigration officials have been assisting travellers on a case-by-case basis, the number of people experiencing difficulties remains high, leaving many stranded.

The issues with the ETA system have also contributed to Kenya's decline in the visa openness ranking. In the latest visa openness ranking report, Kenya dropped to 46th place out of 56 African countries, down from 29th position in 2023.

KTF called for a systemic solution that minimises disruptions.

"This situation is already leading to cancellations and last-minute itinerary changes. Tour operators and clients are reporting revenue losses due to delayed or cancelled bookings. The resultant erosion of client trust will impact future tourism numbers," KTF warned.

Additionally, the federation raised concerns over inadequate customer support, with applicants struggling to access real-time assistance and a lack of a dedicated emergency response channel.

"Stranded travellers have no clear recourse once their ETA application fails online. This is seriously damaging Kenya's hospitality reputation," KTF said.

Kenya's tourism sector is a key foreign exchange earner. In 2024, tourism revenue reached Sh 452 billion, marking a 19.79% increase from Sh 377.49 billion in 2023. The country also received 2.4 million international tourists in 2024, a 15% rise compared to 2023.

While Kenya had hoped that the ETA system would enhance tourism growth, its current failures seem to be having the opposite effect.

KTF urged the Government to mobilise all technical resources to fully stabilise the ETA platform and publicly confirm resolution timelines.

"There should be a dedicated crisis desk with direct escalation to Immigration for urgent cases. Many travellers have reported being unable to get help, and this needs to be addressed immediately," KTF stated.