Health officials at OR Tambo International Airport have re-communicated to immigration officials that a yellow fever certificate is no longer required for travellers to and from Zambia. A list of countries for which the certificate is required will also be displayed in every immigration cubicle.

These new measures were implemented after an investigation was conducted by the Department of Health after Tourism Update reported that travellers were still requested to show the certificate at the airport, despite an official announcement that it was no longer required.

Mam Ramathuba, Acting Director Environmental Health, told Tourism Update the incident had occurred as a result of communication of the changes not reaching all the relevant role players.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) has said that scrapping the requirement could result in more than a 20% increase in international arrivals as a result of the changes. “The yellow fever certificate demanded by South Africa was the most significant single factor negatively affecting the arrival of international tourists to Zambia,” Felix Chaila, MD ZTB told Bloomberg.

However, industry players are more cautious with their predictions. Ade Coley, Safari Camp owner at Flatdogs Camp, says it’s still early days to see any impact from the changes, while it would be difficult to attribute any increase to the scrapped requirement.

Grant Cumings, owner of Chiawa Camp, agrees that although the industry is expecting a tourism boost thanks to the requirement being dropped, it will be impossible to quantify the exact extent of the changes. “So many variables come into play: Ebola, international terrorism, economy, trends…”