East Africa countries plans for joint visa for tourists

East Africa countries tourism chiefs in response to earlier moves by some Southern African countries to promote and market that part of the continent as a single package resolved recently to jointly do same by calling for a single visa for the region.

 The call came at a meeting of tourism chiefs in Kampala, the Uganda capital attended by Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi which would enable holidaymakers to visit all five countries on a single travel document.

Their discussion centred on strategy for marketing East Africa as a single tourist destination that will enable them to charge a common tariff from tourists and recommended that border posts be open to all foreign visitors.

Tourists are a key source of income for the five countries which offer a wide range of attractions with most vacationers trooping to Kenya and Tanzania chiefly to visit the national parks in the Savanna, whereas Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda are known for treks to observe chimpanzees and gorillas in their natural habitat want to catch on the figures.

Already, the Southern African countries of South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have also reached an agreement to also market their region as a single package, especially in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup holding in South Africa.

While the various regions are coming together, West Africa that has remained in the back seat still remains inactive.