South Africa hoping to welcome back international travellers by Sep 2020

Image courtesy: Londolozi

​The premature reports that have been circulating recently by the international press regarding South Africa not opening to international travel until 2021 have been extremely detrimental to the South African tourism sector, costing millions of rands in potentially unnecessary travel cancellations. Following a 2-hour webinar discussion with SATSA (South Africa Tourism Association) & TBCSA (Tourism Business Council of South Africa) over the weekend, we are here to support the motion put forward to government, that South Africa is ready to reintroduce international tourism to the country from September 2020.

The more accurate information is that re-opening dates for international tourism have not yet been determined. South Africa is working with a 5 level risk-adjusted approach to Covid-19 and is currently on level 3 (as of last week).

The Tourism Recovery Strategy, which has been developed by South African Tourism and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, is working closely with the South African government to strategise a plan and process to safely re-open inbound international tourism to the country sooner rather than later, and hopefully, by 1 September 2020.
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The proposed Recovery Strategy is a phased approach that will allow for an initial 6 to 8-week preparation phase, followed by a trial phase where safe target markets that have a similar risk profile to South Africa will be allowed to travel to South Africa. 

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of TBCSA (the Tourism Business Council of South Africa) said last week, “By instituting a phased approach to reopening, we will have had the benefit from the learnings from the European and Northern Hemisphere summer season”.

The ATTA (African Travel and Tourism Association) has said “We are confident South Africa’s tourism economy can be opened up safely if we follow global best practice and the comprehensive protocols we have developed. By opening up as close to September 1 in a responsible manner, we will save the entire 2021 inbound tourism revenue stream and tourism in South Africa.”

Image courtesy: Chitwa Chitwa

Reasons to travel to South Africa post Covid:

1. ​Low-density areas, open-air activities & experiences, wide-open spaces for those looking to avoid crowds.
2. The exchange rate is extremely favourable to international travellers who have Dollars, Euros or Pounds to spend.
3. South African summer season runs from September to April, so a perfect destination to escape to once the cooler months start to set in across the Northern Hemisphere. 
4. Support wildlife conservation and local communities; Your foreign currency goes a long way in supporting meaningful conservation efforts and local communities that rely heavily on the tourism sector to survive. 
5. Fantastic Travel deals and flexible policies allow for peace of mind.

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If you have any questions with regards to travelling to South Africa in the near future, or would like to make use of our complimentary travel planning, please get in touch with us HERE.