There is a coordinated approach to lead post-coronavirus recovery among countries in the East Africa Community (EAC) bloc as the tourism industry continues to struggle, according to observers.

The tourism sector contributes 10% to the GDP of partner states, 17% of export earnings and 7% in terms of jobs.

International tourist arrivals to the region steadily increased in the years leading up to the pre-pandemic period at varying rates, with total annual arrivals of about 6.98 million in 2019, according to official data.

It was projected that arrivals would increase to 14.05 million in 2025, before being altered by the pandemic.

It is estimated that arrivals dropped 67.7% in 2020, compared to 2019.

In absolute terms, the EAC received 2.25 million international tourists in 2020, compared to 6.98 million in 2019.

The region lost more than $4.8 billion and 2 million jobs in the sector in 2020 amid COVID-19 curbs, according to the East African Business Council, a bloc of private business professionals in the region.

Still riddled with uncertainty, data for 2021 indicates that arrivals in the first quarter were 65% less than in 2019 and for the second quarter, the drop, in comparison to the same period in 2019, could be 70%.

Recovery plan

It is against that background, the East African Community Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife approved a regional COVID-19 recovery plan for tourism in a bid to revive the sector.

One way to do it would be to ensure that the six members of the EAC -- Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan adopt a collective and coordinated approach to tourism recovery.

It entails developing a regional strategy to promote tourism whereby individual efforts are reinforced by regional action, according to Christophe Bazivamo, EAC Deputy Secretary General Productive and Social Sectors.

“Whereas Partner States have initiated tourism recovery efforts, it was deemed necessary to come up with a Regional Tourism Recovery Plan because tourism is one of the areas identified by the EAC Treaty for cooperation by the EAC Partner States, whereby they undertake to develop a collective and coordinated approach to the promotion and marketing of quality tourism within the Community,” Bazivamo told Anadolu Agency.

Experts, however, said without investment and political will, the plan could be hobbled.

Roughly $57.8 million is needed to implement the plan.

Sticking to plan

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Carmen Nibigira, a Kigali-based tourism analyst said if the sector is a priority, countries need to commit to the plan and stick to it.

“If what is written in that plan is to focus more on collaboration, domestic and regional tourism let this be applied in their strategy,” she said. “If as a region we really want to fast track and put tourism at the heart, there are external factors which we can’t change, but there has to be political will to support policy.”

Uneven coronavirus guidelines

Analysts underlined that a fast rebound hinges on rapid vaccination, easing travel restrictions, investment in digital technology and cheaper PCR tests.

Nibigira noted that vaccination is progressing unevenly in the region, which could present a challenge to post-coronavirus recovery efforts.

“How we contain the COVID is not at the same pace, even uneven vaccination progress is an issue. Tanzania has just started its vaccination campaign which may take some time, Burundi is still behind,” she said.

But Bazivamo said EAC states are making strides to harmonize COVID-19 guidelines that will help ease travel restrictions within the region.

Nibigira also bemoaned the fact that countries have been over-reliant on the international tourism market.

The majority of tourists to East Africa originate from Europe, the US and Asia.

The main objective in the recovery plan is to promote the region as a single destination with tourists being encouraged to travel across EAC states, said Bazivamo.

With the decline in international travel, it is envisaged that intra-regional tourism will play a major role in jumpstarting tourism.

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda market tourism in their countries as a one tourist destination but Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan have yet to join that campaign.

Nibigira thinks it is a critical time to bring all EAC states on board as the industry struggles to recover.​​​​​​​/agencies

Turkey on Sunday warned Greece against “expansionist attitudes,” saying it is just chasing a “vain hope”.

“Greece should see that it cannot get anywhere with expansionist attitudes, approaches and provocative behaviors and these policies are far from mathematics, reason and understanding, and mean nothing but chasing a vain hope,” Hulusi Akar said in Edirne, a northwestern province bordering Greece.

Accompanied with top army generals, Akar inspected measures taken along the Greek border.

The defense chief reiterated that Turkey favors solving problems in the Aegean Sea through good neighborly relations and dialogue and in line with international laws.

Akar also recalled the mutual and positive dialogue on cooperation in the fight against forest fires which ripped through both countries last month, but criticized “provocations and unlawful aggressive actions” by the Greek side.

“We expect everyone, especially the administrators of our neighbor Greece, to see that having good relations with neighbors is also important for people of neighboring countries. But unfortunately, we constantly face provocations, unlawful aggressive actions and discourse from the Greek side.”

He said Athens tries to limit Ankara’s movements by claiming both sea areas and airspace, adding it is not possible to get anywhere in this way, and they should see it very clearly.

Turkey will protect its rights, the minister pledged./aa

Turkey's daily electricity consumption decreased by 4.1% on Saturday compared to the previous day, totaling 1,016,521 megawatt-hours, according to official figures of the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS) on Sunday.

Hourly power consumption peaked at 47,398 megawatt-hours at 15.00 local time (1200 GMT), data from TEIAS showed. The country's electricity usage dropped to its lowest level of 34,913 megawatt-hours at 07.00 local time (0400 GMT).

Electricity production amounted to 1,022,036 megawatt-hours on Saturday, marking a 4% decrease from Friday.

Turkey's electricity production from natural gas plants constituted 42.4% of total electricity consumption, imported coal plants contributed 19.5% while lignite plants comprised 12.4%.

On Saturday, Turkey's electricity exports amounted to 14,532 megawatt-hours, while imports totaled 9,094 megawatt-hours./aa

Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday that Ankara will “never accept the presence” of the PKK terror group in Iraq.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said terrorism will never have a place in the future of the region and Iraq.

"Terrorist groups such as Daesh, the PKK and (its Syrian branch) the YPG also threaten regional security,” Cavusoglu said at an international conference in Baghdad. “We expect all friendly and neighboring countries to support our fight against this terrorist organization. We are ready to provide all kinds of support to the Iraqi state in its fight against this terrorist organization that poses a threat to Iraq's stability and violates its sovereignty."

The PKK terror group often uses bases in northern Iraq just across Turkey’s southern border to hide and plot terror attacks in Turkey.

Cavusolgu said Ankara will continue to support Baghdad to ensure the stability of Iraq, emphasizing economic cooperation and partnership between the two nations.

Regional actors should solve regional issues

Noting that political stability is indispensable for a successful fight against terror organizations, Cavusoglu said “Completion of the constitutional process plays a significant role in establishing political stability. Ensuring institutionalization and, thus, continuity in the state is also a great need.”

He said that Turkey will continue to support efforts to reinforce political institutions in Iraq.

Cavusoglu said he hopes that elections in Iraq on Oct. 10 will have a high rate of participation and take place in a peaceful environment, recalling that Iraq and Baghdad are important centers of Islamic civilization.

"It is a time to leave aside the differences between us and to focus on what we have in common. As peoples of the region, we know our problems the best and solve them ourselves," he said.

Arguing that foreign interference will not bring solutions to regional problems, Cavusoglu said: "Our public expects solutions from us, not from others."

He said he hopes the Baghdad conference will bring a new lease on life to regional talks.

"We can take significant steps to leave a beautiful heritage for generations to come," he added./aa

Banks and other financial institutions remained closed in Afghanistan on Saturday, nearly two weeks since the Taliban takeover of the capital, as the UN warned of a worsening drought.

The head at the country’s bankers’ union in the capital Kabul told Anadolu Agency the banks have not resumed operations due to technical problems. Najib Amiri denied rumors that the banks are out of cash, adding that the banks are expected to begin providing normal services in the next few days.

On Tuesday Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said banks were about to reopen, leading to a rush, but the doors remained closed.

When the Taliban took control of the country, the activities of commercial banks ceased, but later the Finance Ministry said customs and banks would soon become operational.

Hundreds of cash-strapped and anxious Afghans protested outside banks in Kabul on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority announced that civilian and commercial flights will resume “as soon as problems at the country's airports are resolved.” It said in a statement that a technical meeting on the resumption of civilian and commercial flights was held today.

Continued troubles in the capital follow an ISIS/Daesh terrorist attack outside the airport on Thursday that killed some 170 Afghans, foreign nationals, and international troops.

The UN also warned that a worsening drought could leave millions in need of humanitarian aid in the war-torn country.

The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization said that the farmers worst affected by a drought in the country are among some 14 million people, or one in three Afghans, who are "acutely food insecure and need urgent humanitarian assistance."

"Urgent agricultural support now is key to counter the impact of the drought and a worsening situation in Afghanistan's vast rural areas in the weeks and months ahead," FAO director Qu Dongyu said in a statement.

The organization said it is facing a funding shortfall of $18 million to support its drought response plan in Afghanistan. It is hoping to help 250,000 families, or around 1.5 million people, for the upcoming winter wheat season./agencies

Two senior Daesh/ISIS terrorists were killed and one was injured in an attack by US forces in Nangarhar, eastern Afghanistan, a high-level US military official said on Saturday.

The attack came just days after bombings by the local affiliate ISIS-K in the capital Kabul killed 13 US soldiers, among a total death toll of 170, along with scores injured. US President Joe Biden vowed retaliation.

On the Nangahar attack by US army drones, Maj. Gen. William Taylor told a Pentagon joint press conference that two high-ranking Daesh/ISIS targets were killed and one was injured.

Taylor said that he did not know whether the slain terrorists were directly related to Thursday’s attack in Kabul.

Speaking alongside Taylor, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the attack was carried out based on information from US intelligence and that they did not get any support from the Taliban.

Noting that US forces continue evacuation efforts at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Kirby said that the evacuation of US soldiers has begun. There were around 5,000 US soldiers in Kabul.

The Taliban, which took over the Afghan capital on Aug. 15, have set a deadline of next Tuesday, Aug. 31, for foreign forces to leave the country./agencies

The Turkish Red Crescent on Saturday distributed food packages to 100 families in the Afghan capital Kabul.

The distribution ceremony, held at the local Afghan Red Crescent Society, was attended by the group’s head Mevlevi Sifatullah Qureshi and staffers of the Turkish Red Crescent Afghanistan delegation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Qureshi thanked the Turkish Red Crescent for its timely aid delivery.

Stressing that they urgently need help from the Turkish Red Crescent and other groups, Qureshi said that poverty and unemployment are at the highest level ever in the country and that they want aid groups to boost assistance to Afghanistan.

Mahfuz Yoldas, the head of the Turkish delegation, said they will distribute food packages to 100 families who migrated to the capital Kabul due to the recent conflict.

The packages contain rice, oil, kidney beans, tea, sugar, salt, and pasta, he said, adding they will continue to stand by the Afghan people even under difficult conditions.

He stressed that they will continue to deliver aid from the Turkish people to the people of Afghanistan.

Taliban territorial gains earlier this month led to a population influx in Kabul, with many thousands of Afghans still waiting in the capital, seeking a way out of the country./aa