Visa openness in Africa sees steady improvement in policies

93% of African countries have improved or maintained their score on the 2022 Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI). Two-thirds of African countries have adopted more liberal visa policies compared to six years ago. The AVOI measures visa policies of African governments based on visa-free entry, visas on arrival, and pre-travel visas required. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on travel restrictions, 10 African countries improved their visa openness score in the past year. The 2022 report showcases Burundi, Djibouti, and Ethiopia as the countries making the most progress in their visa openness. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African Community are the most open communities, according to the report.

Tanzania Records 64% Rise in Foreign Tourists in 10 Months

Tanzania recorded a 64 percent rise in the number of foreign tourists that visited the East African nation between January and October 2022.

Daniel Masolwa, director of economic statistics with the National Bureau of Statistics, said 1,175,697 foreign tourists visited the country between January and October this year, compared to 716,741 tourists during the same period in 2021.

"The number of tourists increased by 458,956, which was equivalent to an increase of 64 percent," Masolwa told a news conference in the capital Dodoma.

Masolwa attributed the surge in foreign tourist arrivals to efforts by the government aimed at revitalizing the tourism industry after it was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that the Royal Tour documentary, which was part of the campaign to promote Tanzania as a preferred tourist destination launched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in 2021, also played a major role in boosting the country's foreign tourist arrivals.

Masolwa also said most tourists were from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the United States, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, and South Africa.