Key points
- The key development: Tourism ministers from the East African Community (EAC) have directed the EAC Secretariat to circulate an updated study on a proposed regional single tourist visa by October 20, 2026, with member states expected to submit comments by November 30. The visa would allow tourists to visit multiple EAC countries on a single visa.
- 10-year strategy adopted: The ministers adopted the EAC Tourism Marketing Strategy (2027-2036) at their 13th meeting in Arusha on October 15, 2026, setting a framework to promote East Africa as a single competitive tourism destination under the brand "Visit East Africa: Feel the Vibe."
- AFCON 2027 as catalyst: The Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027, and co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, is the immediate driver. The ministers want the tournament to attract visitors across the entire EAC region, not just the three host countries.
- Five priorities identified: The single tourist visa is one of five areas ministers flagged for accelerated action, alongside joint tourism marketing, harmonized hotel classification, improved tourism statistics, and cross-border conservation of shared ecosystems.
EAC tourism ministers adopted a 10-year marketing strategy and set deadlines for advancing a single tourist visa as the bloc prepares to host Africa’s biggest football tournament
Tourism ministers from the East African Community (EAC) adopted a 10-year regional marketing strategy and directed member states to accelerate work on a single tourist visa at the bloc’s 13th Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management, which concluded on October 15, 2026, at EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The decisions are aimed at positioning East Africa as a unified tourism destination ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), according to the official EAC press release.
The EAC currently comprises eight partner states: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. The single tourist visa is intended to reduce barriers to cross-border travel for international tourists visiting the region, allowing them to move between member states on one visa rather than applying separately for each country.
The EAC Secretariat was directed to circulate an updated study on the proposed visa by October 20, 2026, with member states expected to submit comments by November 30, 2026. EAC Deputy Secretary General Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth urged partner states to conclude national consultations on the visa, underscoring the need to ease travel ahead of an expected influx of football fans and other visitors.
What is the proposed EAC single tourist visa?
The proposed single tourist visa would allow international tourists to enter and travel across multiple EAC member states on one visa, eliminating the need for separate applications at each border. The concept builds on the East African Tourist Visa (EATV), a pilot scheme launched in 2014 between Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda that allowed travelers to visit all three countries on a single visa costing USD 100.
The current proposal appears broader in scope, aiming to cover the full eight-member bloc rather than a subset of countries. The EAC ministers identified the single tourist visa as one of five priority areas requiring accelerated action, alongside joint tourism marketing, harmonized hotel classification standards, improved tourism statistics through the EAC Tourism Barometer, and cross-border conservation of shared ecosystems.
The updated study that the EAC Secretariat is circulating to member states is expected to outline the proposed visa’s structure, eligibility, fee arrangements, and implementation timeline. Operational details have not yet been made public. East Africa is not the only bloc moving this way: Southern Africa’s tourism ministers have been advancing their own SADC UniVisa, which also has no launch date or published eligibility rules.
What is AFCON 2027 and when does it take place?
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, officially the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027, is the premier national football tournament on the African continent. The 36th edition will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, spanning 29 days with 52 matches involving 24 national teams across 7 stadiums in 6 host cities.
The tournament is co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, making it the first AFCON ever staged by three countries. Proposed host cities include Nairobi and potentially Eldoret in Kenya, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Zanzibar in Tanzania, and Kampala and Hoima in Uganda. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been conducting technical inspections to assess stadium readiness, with several venues still undergoing upgrades.
Kenya’s Head of Public Service Felix Koskei confirmed earlier in October 2026 that government agencies were reviewing readiness across stadiums, security, immigration, health, transport, accommodation, electricity, IT, and broadcasting.
How will AFCON 2027 affect travel to East Africa?
The EAC ministers view AFCON 2027 as an opportunity to attract international visitors beyond the stadiums and beyond the three host countries. The tournament is expected to generate demand for accommodation, transport, hospitality, and tourism services across the region.
The ministers agreed to use the tournament to encourage visitors to explore destinations across all EAC member states, positioning AFCON as a regional tourism opportunity rather than an event confined to the host nations. Uganda has offered to host the fourth EAC Regional Tourism Expo alongside the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) in May 2027, incorporating AFCON promotional activities and multi-country tourism packages.
The new EAC Tourism Marketing Strategy (2027-2036) will use the regional brand “Visit East Africa: Feel the Vibe” to promote the bloc’s natural and cultural attractions through digital campaigns, strategic partnerships, and cross-border tourism packages. The strategy is designed to sustain the promotional momentum well beyond the tournament itself.
What is the EAC doing to prepare tourism standards for the tournament?
EAC Deputy Secretary General Malueth urged partner states to expedite the classification of tourism establishments before the tournament, warning that “the world will judge East Africa by the quality of the rooms, the meals and the service that our visitors receive.”
The ministers adopted a common design for EAC tourism classification plaques and certificates and directed that classified establishments be published in the EAC Gazette. Examination results for newly trained tourism assessors from Kenya and Tanzania were also approved.
Uganda’s Tourism Minister Tom Butime, who chaired the Arusha meeting, said the region needed to strengthen cooperation in conservation, tourism standards, data collection, and destination marketing to improve its competitiveness. The ministers also directed the EAC Secretariat to coordinate a tripartite memorandum of understanding between Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda for the Kidepo-Karamoja-Turkana Transboundary Conservation Area, alongside continued management of shared ecosystems including Mount Elgon, Kagera, and Virunga.
The ministers called for greater private-sector investment, the development of bankable regional tourism projects, and the establishment of monitoring systems to track implementation progress. Development partners acknowledged for their support include GIZ, the European Union, TradeMark Africa, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD).
