As we all know and have experienced, COVID-19 has been a huge disruption generally this year and the travel industry has been hit so badly. COVID-19 has also left several impacts on Nigerian travellers.
One major impact of COVID-19 is limited access to some countries. According to Wikipedia, as of 02 July 2019, Nigerian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 45 countries and territories, ranking the Nigerian passport 98th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. However, that number had shrunk in no time. Here are a few countries open to Nigerian travellers: UAE, South Africa, Tanzania, Kanya, Maldives, Ghana, Tanzania, UK, US, Turkey, and a couple of others.
Another major impact is the burden of conducting the COVID-19 test multiple times. Apart from the time and stress, the financial implication is also something that has increased the average cost of travel as it’s now a mandatory requirement in most countries globally. Some of the above-mentioned countries do not require travellers to have the test result before departing Nigeria. However, should travellers be flying certain airlines, the test result is a major requirement.
Also, according to the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control), all travellers arriving in Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19 by PCR in the country of departure pre-boarding. The PCR test must be within 120 hours before departure and preferably within 72 hours pre-boarding. A repeat PCR test is also conducted seven days after arrival. Bear in mind that these tests are not free.
Here is a good example. Travelling to Dubai via Emirates, a negative PCR test result which costs N50,400 is required. Before departing Dubai back to Nigeria, another negative PCR test which costs about 250ED is needed to board. In the same light, before boarding, it is mandatory to schedule and pay for the third test which is to be done within seven days after arrival. This costs another N50,400.
Asides from the fact that a minimum of two tests is required, each traveller spends approximately N140,000 on COVID-19 testing alone. This is now a new addition when calculating the total cost of making an international trip, increasing the financial burden greatly.
After getting tests done, there could be delays in getting the results within the timeframe advised by the country of arrival or departure. Ideally, test results should be out without 24 to 48 hours, but travellers have experienced massive delays resulting in them having to move their flights as the airlines will not board without a test result. This means that there is a need for the ticket date change. Yet again, there are usually costs attached to this.
Because of COVID-19 and the drastic drop in crude oil prices, Nigeria is currently experiencing a foreign currency shortage leading to an economic recession. Travel transaction is majorly denominated in dollars. This means the cost of travel has skyrocketed for Nigerians. Travellers now have to change more naira for dollar. The current naira-dollar rate is N485/$1 in the parallel market. So, if the average cost of a Dubai trip was N500,000, it’s now faring for an average of N560,000.
In conclusion, the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerian travellers is a cause for major concern, and as we are getting accustomed to the new normal, we need to be aware that it is going to take some more effort, including financial, to make a successful trip. Notwithstanding, we remain positive that there will be a safe landing.
