Citizens of Benin and Bahamas will no longer be subject to visas when planning to visit each other’s territories after both countries have established diplomatic cooperation relations in order to put an end to such a requirement.
The new changes are expected to further ease the travel process and boost both countries’ economies, VisaGuide.World reports.
The decision came following an agreement reached between Bahamas’s Foreign Minister Fredrick Mitchell and his counterpart from Benin, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, as part of the third South-South Summit (G77 + China) that was held in Kamala, Uganda.
In line with the agreement, both states also have abolished visa requirements for travelers holding any kind of passport. The Bahamas, therefore, becomes the seventh Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to establish ties with Benin, according to the North Africa Post report.
Bahamas’s Foreign Ministry considered this step to be key to achieving closer cooperation and collaboration between these two countries.
At present, holders of Benin passports are required to apply for a visa when planning to visit the Bahamas for tourism or business purposes. A Bahamas eVisa is among the fastest and easiest ways to obtain a visa to travel to the Bahamas after passengers are eligible to submit their applications and supporting documents online without being required to head to the offices in order to complete such a procedure.
Once the application is approved, travelers are eligible to receive their eVisa confirmation electronically.
Visas were also required for Bahamas passport holders planning to travel to Benin for the same purposes. However, at present, both countries have intensified their efforts to facilitate the travel process by waiving visa requirements for nationals of other countries.
Earlier this year, Benin also signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to waive visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders.
When it comes to tourism, last year, the Bahamas set a new tourism record, receiving a total of 7.2 million visitors for a period from January up to the end of September 2023.
Minister of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation Chester Cooper, welcoming the achievements made in the country’s tourism industry, said that such statistics reveal the country’s tourism figures are surpassing 2019’s statistics by more than 30 percent.
Tourism occupancy, average daily room rates, and tourism spend have all increased, leading to the achievement of rapid GDP growth and record low levels of unemployment,.
He emphasized that the country’s tourism product has experienced an increase in new visitors and traffic from almost every market.