This week’s top comment refers to Tourism Update’s article on tour operators and accommodation establishments noticing a shift in interest to East Africa as South Africa’s international and regional borders remain closed.

East Africa Manager at Expert Africa, Richard Trillo, writes:

“It's imperative that East African tourism ministers and other tourism leaders in the region lobby hard for the removal of their countries from the ‘no-go’ advisory lists of the source market countries such as UK, Germany, Italy and France. Without those changes, confidence to travel – even when tourists are already holding bookings for 2020 – will be lacking.

At Expert Africa, we're seeing a persistent pattern of keen safari-goers unwilling to travel, not because they are worried for their safety, but because the government travel advice says not to.

 With the COVID-19 protocols developed extensively by the airlines and suppliers on the ground (distancing, sanitation, barriers) there is no reason for this advice not to be removed, especially as countries such as Cuba and Thailand have been given the all-clear for tourist visits from the UK.”

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