WAS - East Africa Tourism Intelligence Brief (18 - 24 Aug 2026)

Weekly

Regional

24 August 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Rwanda consolidates as the lead East African gorilla destination, with Kwita Izina confirmed for 4 September. Advance bookings remain strong across both Uganda and Rwanda through peak dry season. Aviation is stable: SalamAir's Muscat-Kigali route continues, Uganda Airlines' new Accra and Kigali routes remain on schedule, and diplomatic tourism channels into Uganda remain active.

The DRC Ebola outbreak accelerated sharply to 5,375 confirmed cases and 2,557 deaths (WHO, 20 Aug), with Africa CDC warning the true toll could be three times higher. First vaccine doses arrived in the DRC this week. Uganda remains Ebola-free, with the WHO 42-day countdown expiring 26 August, but the broader US Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory may persist independently, and is now driving measurable tourism losses to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

All parks in Uganda and Rwanda remain fully operational, permits are available, and Rwanda carries no Ebola-related restrictions. The strategic priority remains Rwanda-first routing. Three milestones to monitor: WHO's 26 August Uganda confirmation, Canada's 29 August ban expiry, and the US CDC's 11 September ban expiry.

Stay up to date with our weekly reports, including our archived reports - East Africa Tourism Intelligence.

EBOLA WATCH - Ebola Watch Dashboard

2026 Ebola - Confirmed Cases by Provinces and District [Map Image] Health zone (DRC) / district (UGA) with confirmed case Province (DRC) with confirmed case Province (DRC) / district (UGA) boundary International boundary Selected city DRC data as of August 17, 2026 Uganda data as of August 17, 2026 Data sources: DRC INSP, UG MOH, Esri and Impact Observatory, Europa, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, US DoS

Figure 1: Map produced by CDC on 17 Aug 2026

CASE STATISTICS (WHO Daily Epi Update - data as at 20 August 2026)

UGANDA

Confirmed cases: 20
Confirmed deaths: 2
Recoveries: 18
Days since last confirmed case: 64 (last confirmed case: 21 June 2026)
National declaration: Outbreak declared over on 28 July 2026
WHO 42-day countdown status: Day 39 of 42 (countdown began 16 July 2026 - last patient discharged)
WHO confirmation date: 26 August 2026 (16 July + 42 days)

No new cases have been reported since 21 June. The WHO-standard 42-day countdown, which began on 16 July following the last patient discharge, now stands at day 39 of 42 and expires on 26 August 2026 - just two days after this reporting window closes. Uganda's own epidemiological position has not changed and remains clean. WHO has repeatedly noted that while Uganda's own outbreak is contained, the country remains exposed to reintroduction risk while transmission continues to accelerate across the border in the DRC. WHO Daily Epi Update (23 August 2026)

DRC - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Confirmed cases: 5,375
Confirmed deaths: 2,557
Recoveries: 1,167

The DRC Ebola outbreak has become the fastest-moving filovirus event ever recorded. As of 20 August (WHO Daily Epi Update), the DRC has reported 5,375 confirmed cases and 2,557 deaths, an increase of 532 cases and 285 deaths since the previous week's 4,843 cases and 2,272 deaths (ECDC data, 12 August). Africa CDC estimates that only 30-40% of actual infections have been detected, with contact tracing reaching just 16% of expected contacts - meaning the true scale of the outbreak could be up to three times the confirmed total. WHO Daily Epi Update (23 August 2026) ECDC (21 August 2026)

RWANDA

Confirmed Ebola cases: 0
Confirmed deaths: 0

Rwanda remains Ebola-free with zero confirmed cases throughout the entire outbreak period. All national parks, Kigali International Airport and tourism infrastructure remain fully operational. Rwanda maintains a 30-day entry restriction for travellers with DRC travel history. Rwanda is not on any country-specific travel ban list and remains fully sellable for tourism.

OUTBREAK TOTAL (All Countries)

Total confirmed cases: 5,369
Total confirmed deaths: 2,559
Total recoveries: 1,186
Overall CFR (confirmed): 48%

United States. The CDC entry ban extended on 12 August remains unchanged this week, running through 11 September 2026 for foreign nationals who have been in Uganda, DRC or South Sudan within the past 21 days. Separately, and importantly for WAS messaging, Uganda has also been under a broader US State Department Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory since 17 May, which cites crime, terrorism and civil unrest alongside the Ebola outbreak. Analysis published this week confirms this broader advisory,not just the CDC's Ebola-specific ban, is now driving measurable tourism and investment losses. Because the Level 4 advisory is not purely Ebola-driven, the WHO's 26 August confirmation may not by itself trigger a downgrade. The Observer (19 August 2026)

UAE. Formal entry ban remains in force since 13:00, 6 June 2026, unchanged this week. Entry restricted for all travellers from Uganda, DRC and South Sudan. Entry permitted only for travellers who have spent more than 21 days outside the listed countries. Rwanda is NOT on the restricted list. Status remains under active review pending Uganda's 42-day countdown progress.

Canada. 90-day entry ban for DRC, Uganda and South Sudan residents. 21-day mandatory quarantine for returnees. Measures remain confirmed to end 29 August 2026 - five days after this reporting window closes, and a milestone to track closely next week. Rwanda unrestricted.

Rwanda. 30-day entry restriction for travellers with DRC travel history in the past 30 days. Zero confirmed Ebola or Marburg cases. All tourism infrastructure fully operational.

Bahrain and Jordan. 30-day entry bans for travellers from Uganda, DRC and South Sudan remain in force, unchanged this week.

EU and UK. No formal entry bans on Uganda or Rwanda. Enhanced screening at selected EU airports for Uganda returnees continues. ECDC continues to assess risk to EU/EEA residents as very low. ECDC (21 August 2026)

WHO position. WHO continues to oppose blanket travel restrictions, describing them as counterproductive and inconsistent with actual epidemiological risk. Africa CDC continues to lobby Washington for Uganda-specific relief, arguing that Uganda has met the epidemiological threshold for lifted restrictions. No policy shift has resulted so far.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

First Ebola Vaccine Doses Arrive in DRC - WHO and Africa CDC announced on 20 August that the DRC will receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, with over 16,000 doses already delivered by 21-22 August. This is the first vaccine deployment since the outbreak began in May. A Phase 3 trial testing Ervebo's efficacy against the Bundibugyo strain specifically, authorised on 31 July, is running alongside the rollout. WHO (20 August 2026)

Analysis Quantifies Economic Cost of US 'Do Not Travel' Advisory to Uganda - A detailed economic analysis published on 19 August found that Uganda's tour operators have already reported cancellations and bookings shifting to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda since the US Level 4 advisory took effect in May. The report puts Uganda's USD 1.86 billion tourism sector and USD 3.2 billion in foreign direct investment both at risk, with the sharpest impact expected between August and December as existing bookings expire. The Observer (19 August 2026)

Rwanda Confirms 21st Kwita Izina Date and Details - The Rwanda Development Board confirmed that the 21st Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony will take place on 4 September in Kinigi, Musanze District, naming 22 baby mountain gorillas. This brings the cumulative total of gorillas named since the ceremony began to 460, reinforcing Rwanda's conservation-led tourism brand ahead of peak season. Visit Rwanda (August 2026)

Czech Parliament Speaker Names Baby Gorilla in Bwindi (Uganda) - On 10 August, the visiting Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mr Tomio Okamura, named a newborn mountain gorilla 'Thomas' during a trek to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, accompanied by Uganda's Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa. The visit signals that institutional and diplomatic tourism channels into Uganda remain active even as commercial travel restrictions persist. Deputy Speaker Tayebwa used the occasion to urge Ugandans to explore domestic tourism, noting that EAC citizen permits cost UGX 300,000 compared to USD 800 for foreign non-residents. Monitor (11 August 2026)

FLIGHT AVAILABILITY AND ROUTING

Entebbe International Airport (EBB) - Uganda

Entebbe International Airport remains fully operational. KLM remains suspended on the Amsterdam-Entebbe route due to Ebola-related crew quarantine mandates, with no update this week. Other major carriers continue to operate normally, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines,

Kenya Airways and Turkish Airlines. Uganda Airlines' new Accra route (from 27 October) and Kigali route (from 18 November) remain on schedule with no change reported this week.

Kigali International Airport (KGL) - Rwanda

Kigali Access - SalamAir continues operating its twice-weekly Muscat-Kigali service, unchanged this week. This remains the primary Gulf-to-Rwanda routing option for WAS clients, particularly relevant for UAE-based travellers who can connect through Muscat. Rwanda remains outside the UAE entry ban, making Kigali the primary viable East African entry point for UAE-based clients.

Cross-Border Routing

Rwanda continues to restrict entry for travellers who have been in the DRC within 30 days. This does not affect standard Uganda-Rwanda safari routing, but operators should continue verifying client travel histories. The Uganda-DRC border remains restricted for direct travel.

AVIATION, TRAVEL AND VISAS

**Uganda e-visa remains ope

Note: Full report content truncated. Download the PDF for the complete report.