It is now a fact that this summer most Italians, more for comfort and safety than for choice of heart, will spend their vacations within the national borders or at the limit within those of the United Europe.
But it is also a fact that out of 60 million people, even a small percentage of regular travelers and those who want to "disconnect" from our country and find the pleasure of distant destinations, can mean a lot for some tourist destinations that still today, after a year and a half of pandemic, seem impossible to reach.
This is the case of Kenya, which represents one of the emblematic cases of this period: it now seems clear that until next July 31, it will not be possible for an Italian citizen to travel to Kenya for a simple vacation, i.e., for tourism.
This does not mean that the African country cannot issue a tourist visa, given that the ban, which is the result of a "radical" reading by Rome of European legislation (some countries, such as Germany and France, for example, "strongly advise" their citizens not to travel to countries in the E bracket for tourism, but do not prohibit it), is not reciprocal. Kenya accepts Italian citizens, including non-residents, workers, missionaries, volunteers or diplomats.
However, as we have been able to verify from case histories now so numerous as to be able to make statistics, for those accustomed to Kenya and also to travel not "hit and run", arriving in Nairobi or Mombasa is not impossible. At the airports of departure from Italy, self-certifications proving a temporary change of residence, for example, were accepted.
It was sufficient to show a rental contract of a house (for those who did not own one) and declare the temporary move. As far as this solution is concerned, there have been no reports of mishaps and above all no one, among the hundreds of cases observed, has been left on the ground and lost their ticket.
Other more imaginative, original or improvised attempts were instead thwarted by controls in a higher percentage.
Among the most used, the reunification of "de facto couples" and voluntary work not proven by work permits or a letter of invitation from a local non-profit organization or NGO.
From rumors collected by us in several Italian institutional corridors, it would seem that the government (also on the strength of appeals such as the one of malindikenya.net signed by more than a thousand readers) is considering both the possibility of reopening to tourism for some countries of the E belt, from August, and the more likely to allow stays not short and of frequent travelers in those countries.
The Italians, as mentioned, are many and it is not easy to satisfy them all. For this reason, we at the portal of Italians in Kenya, included in the press reviews of agencies that deal with international news, want to let people know what the solutions may be to allow even the most popular tourist destinations for our compatriots to gradually return to them.