Last year, Kenya welcomed over two million visitors. With this, the Kenyan secretary of tourism, Najib Balala, achieved his goal. An increasing number of visitor arrive from the USA, the UK and India.

The fifth country that provides the most tourists is Germany. In recent years, Kenya has become an increasingly popular destination for western tourists. If you want to travel to Kenya, you require a Kenya visa to do so.

Kenya’s tourism picking up steam

The past year, more than two million tourists travelled to Kenya. Of note is that the number of western tourists is steadily increasing. Last year, Germany welcomed 136.225 British tourists. Other western countries like the USA and Germany also saw their numbers rise.

The increase in tourism has a positive influence on employment in the country. This is why Balala has already set a new goal: he is aiming to have five million visitors come to the east-African country in 2030. To realize this, the Kenyan government will strongly invest in tourism. Right now, 14 percent of the gross domestic product is invested in the tourism sector.

Employment in Kenya

According to secretary Balala, each eleventh tourist in Kenya leads to a new job opening for Kenyan citizens. Most tourists visit the beaches and national parks in Kenya. Going on safari is also still a popular holiday activity. However, other regions in the country have also become more popular over the years.

Balala admits that Kenya has a large number of regions that are underdeveloped. According to him, those regions could make good use of the increased tourism. As an example he names the north of Kenya, which has become a lot safer compared to a few years ago. Another example is Mount Kenya.

Tourism without impact on nature

Secretary Balala also wants to avoid having the increase in tourism come at the cost of the natural landscape of the east-African country. Since a few years, the ministry is responsible for the Kenya Wildlife Service. The ministry has the goal to to substantially reduce the number of poachings in the country. And not without success: in 2018, 40 elephants fell prey to poachers, compared to 600 in previous years.

On safari to Kenya

Kenya is mostly known for its natural areas and the possibility to see wild animals up close through safari trips. Safari remains one of the most popular reasons for western tourists to travel to the country.

If you want to travel to Kenya, you need to apply for a visa before departure. The Kenya visa can be easily applied for online, meaning you won’t need to visit the embassy or consulate. Applying costs £64.95 per person, and after approval it is sent by e-mail to the traveller.

Kenya visa requirements

Applying for a Kenya visa comes with a number of requirements. For instance, it is an electronic permit, a so-called e-visa. The Kenya e-visa is available in a tourist and business variant. It allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days. With a Kenya visa, you can only enter the country once. Meaning, if you leave before your 90 day staying period is over, you cannot enter the country again, regardless of how many days you have left. You will need to apply for a new Kenya visa to do so.

To submit a Kenya visa application, each traveller needs to possess their own passport. This also applies to children. They need to have their own passport, but children up to and including 15 years of age travelling with their parents do not require a visa of their own. On arrival, the passport must be valid for at least six more months, and it must contain at least one empty page. You are not allowed to enter Kenya everywhere; this must be done at one of the ten air- or seaports, or one of the eleven border crossings.

Furthermore, to apply for a Kenya visa, the traveller must know their arrival and departure dates. You also need to be able to prove that you will leave the country again. That’s why you need to have booked at least one overnight stay in Kenya. The booking confirmation of a return flight, overnight stay or a possible letter of invitation from an inhabitant of Kenya needs to be added to the application form.

Kenya visa application

The Kenya visa can be applied for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is possible up to four days before departure. We recommend applying for a visa at least two weeks before departure. The visa costs £64.95 per person. Submit an urgent application. This costs £17.50 extra per person. The Kenya visa is sent by e-mail after approval.

Please note: this news article about the visa for Kenya is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Kenya.