The United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s visa hiccups have forced Nigerians to choose to celebrate their Christmas and New Year in African nations where entry is easy and convenient.
Consequently, several Nigerians now buy tickets to Kenya, Morocco, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Accra, Johannesburg and Egypt, preferring these destinations to the UAE, the United States and Europe where there are visa hiccups.
BusinessDay found that these African nations offer visa on arrival, e-visas and accept local currencies, thereby reducing scarce foreign exchange pressure on Nigerian tourists and holiday makers.
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“Egypt, Mauritius, Seychelles and Maldives offer visas on arrival for Nigerians, and lately travel agents are offering packages into these destinations. Visas are motivation for travel and once the destination offers great tourist attractions, and travellers can access the visas, the destination would be sought after,” said Jumoke Lawanson, communications director at PFZ Limited and a frequent traveller.
Lawanson said many travellers now opt for destinations with easier visa processes such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and even South Africa and Morocco, noting that travellers with a valid UK, US, Canadian, or Schengen visa can conveniently apply for Morocco e-visa.
She however noted that this trend is not limited to African countries as many who would have chosen Dubai before the visa restrictions are now turning to Qatar.
“Like Dubai, Qatar offers luxurious hotels and similar attractions but at a more affordable cost. Additionally, Lebanon is becoming popular as it offers visas on arrival for only $8 or less depending on exchange rate at the time of travel,” she said.
Some analysts say apart from visa constraints, it is becoming more affordable to spend time in these African countries than in the UAE, the United Kingdom, or the United States due to the naira slump.
Naira has continued to weaken, piling pressure on travellers and hiking the cost of fares high. It exchanged at N1,644.86 at the official market and N1,750 at the parallel market on Thursday.
This development has forced many to drop their travel plans, while others have opted for African destinations that do not demand dollar spend.
Kenya, earlier in the year, had carried out a roadshow with the aim of attracting Nigerian business, leisure and tourism travellers.
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John Chirchir, Kenya’s Tourism Board (KTB) ccting CEO, had said that the West African market remained integral to the nation’s strategy to diversify tourist source markets and broaden the country’s destination portfolio.
In particular, he noted that Nigeria and Ghana had shown improvements of six percent and 48 percent respectively in 2023 and ranked among Kenya’s potential markets on the African continent.
In an interview with BusinessDay, Susan Akporaiye, managing director and CEO, Topaz Travels and Tours, and former president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), said Christmas travels are low due to the cost of tickets.
She confirmed that those travelling this season are mostly going to African destinations.
“We don’t have much traffic but for the few people that are travelling for Christmas, African countries have become popular because some of them do not require visa. I have had more than 10 different requests for family trips this Christmas and they are all going to African countries such as Kenya, Gambia, Rwanda, Morocco etc.
“We still have a few people that are going to the UK and US for Christmas and that is because they have family members there and would like to spend the Christmas with them,” Akporaiye disclosed.
She hinted that before now, Nigerian travellers had preferred to spend Christmas in Dubai but African destinations have seen more patronage from Nigerians lately.
Dubai no more most visited
Before now, Dubia had been the most visited destination by Nigerians during festive seasons. However, with the visa restrictions, Nigerians are opting for other options.
To apply for a UAE visa, a Nigerian passport holder is expected to provide proof of a six- month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000 (about N16 million) in his or her account.
For Nigerian citizens with either valid United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Schengen visas on their passports, the rule may be a bit liberal.
Also, Nigerians with the green passports are mandated to provide round-trip flight tickets and proof of hotel bookings before applying for the UAE visa.
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Besides, Nigerian applicants are to also obtain a Document Verification Number (DVN), which the UAE said was to authenticate and verify documentation.
The UAE recently unveiled different types of visas for Nigerians with diverse fees, ranging from N150, 000 to N270,000.
For a transit visa, a Nigerian passport holder is expected to pay the sum of N150, 000 for 14-day tourist visa; N200,000 for 30-day tourist visa; N250,000 for 60-day tourist visa.
Agents Lure Travellers to African Destinations
Apart from cost of tickets, travel agents in Nigeria are luring tourists to Kigali, Morocco, Johannesburg, Accra, Mauritius and Nairobi, with three-night hotel reservations, complimentary airport transfers, protocol services, primate Safaris, city tour and complimentary access to business class lounge of Lagos airport.
These packages put together cost between N485,000 and N595,000, depending on the destination.
Ndukwe Ginika Ogechi, CEO Geena Travels and Tours Limited, confirmed to BusinessDay that visa constraints in Dubai, Europe and US are forcing Nigerians to try African destinations.
According to Ogechi, she has been processing travellers to Mauritius, Zanzibar, Nairobi, Seychelles for festive travel.
