African nations have rejected the proposal to impose vaccine passport protocol on air travel, describing the move as discriminatory.

They said making the document mandatory for flying defeats the intent of the Chicago Convention that stresses friendship and establishment of international air transport based on justice.

Led by their Nigerian counterpart, Hadi Sirika, the African Ministers of Aviation, yesterday, at the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) High Level Conference on COVID-19 in Montreal, Canada, sought alternative safety measures.

Amid growing acceptance of the protocol, the Federal Government recently refuted plans to begin its enforcement from December 1, 2021.

Europe already has vaccination as a compulsory travel requirement. Countries like the United States of America, China, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Mali, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have since toed same line.

Sirika said Africa frowns on nations imposing unilateral measures relating to public health globally.

“There is a clear onus on both public and private stakeholders to take full measure of the dire circumstances now facing the air transport sector and to ensure sufficient operational sustainability. These actions are critical for the world to adequately get reconnected, as aviation plays a critical role in the global economic recovery and realisation of the goals of both the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 and the United Nation (UN) Agenda 2030 for sustainable development,” he said.

The Nigerian observed that global emergency and humanitarian supplies, including vaccines, would depend on economically viable aviation systems.

“It is worth noting that the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) Roadmap for Prioritising use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Context of Limited Supply acknowledges that there is still a limited supply of vaccines and puts forward seven key assumptions regarding vaccines. This further strengthens the fact that vaccines are still not widely available to all world regions, particularly Africa,” Sirika added.

The Guardian earlier reported that vaccine passport policy draws the line between those that have taken the jab and those that have not, as well as between vaccinated-rich countries and poor ones like Nigeria that have barely kick-started vaccination, therefore, leading to disenfranchising the unvaccinated and poor countries from international travel and tourism.

Source: The Guardian

As the world steps slowly into a post-pandemic era, the future looks increasingly digital. Covid-19 transformed behavior across the board, especially in how consumers want to engage with brands and businesses. Though present in the marketplace prior to 2020, contactless, streamlined digital solutions were brought to the fore by the pandemic, and businesses continue to embrace cutting-edge tech to stay ahead of the game and capitalize on future trends.

For Iceland-based digital solutions firm LS Retail, modern retail digitization is at the core of its business. SkiftX spoke to Urdur Anna Bjornsdottir, consulting manager at LS Retail, about the current growth in digital retail and how travel brands and operators can apply learnings from the industry to provide their customers with the best purchasing experiences possible.

SkiftX: In general, what are some capabilities that hospitality companies can learn from digital retail leaders when it comes to improving the customer purchasing experience?

Urdur Anna Bjornsdottir: One of the biggest opportunities is around controlling and unifying customer data with the digital experience. In order to get this right, hospitality companies must drive customers directly into their website and away from third-party platforms.

They also need to consider the entire guest journey and move away from the idea that they’re simply selling rooms. If the guest can book their entire stay on the hospitality provider’s website — not just the rooms and dining experiences, but also their horseback-riding trips, boat rentals, winery visits, museum tickets, and other off-property experiences — hospitality companies can gather extremely valuable data to help build a 360-degree view of the consumer, which can grow their revenue stream and margins. Building partnerships with other service providers can help achieve this.

There are also opportunities to improve the guest experience on property. Hotels can look to the retail industry in how it has applied QR codes and other contactless technologies that allow customers to order items and have them be delivered seamlessly. For example, a guest may want to order a snack or drink while on the golf course or at the pool. They could use their smartphone to scan a menu and get their items delivered where they are on property, and be billed to their room or on their credit card, depending on their preference.

SkiftX: What are some specific lessons from digital retail you expect to be most successful in hospitality and travel when it comes to providing a modern purchasing experience?

Bjornsdottir: Over the past year, retail has seen a boom of services that tie the digital with the physical. Options like click and collect and online ordering (with home delivery) have become extremely popular, and tactics such as these can be exported to the hospitality space.

Hospitality businesses also need to put more focus on using guest data to personalize the experience. Past purchases can, and should, be used to send guests recommendations and reminders. For example, during the booking process, a guest may be shown other services or products they might also be interested in, based on their previous purchases or on purchases made by guests with similar preferences.

Many hotels still offer a very small subset of add-ons when it comes to amenities beyond the standard breakfast or airport shuttle offerings. Instead, hotels should be thinking like Amazon: They should present guests with a large variety of products and services for purchase that can enhance their experience.

SkiftX: There’s been a lot of talk around having a single digital identity in the travel industry over the last few years. What might this look like, and why is it important?

Bjornsdottir: Imagine having a view over all bookings and reservations, across all facilities and all locations, wherever there’s a point of sale — not just rooms, but also spa, restaurant, tennis courts, and other experiences, amenities, and services. Having a single digital customer identity maximizes sales opportunities for hospitality companies, makes it easier for operators and employees to do their jobs, and provides guests with more cohesive and seamless experiences.

For example, if a property’s spa has an open massage slot due to a last-minute cancellation, a discounted offer for the massage could be pushed to the mobile device of a guest who has previously used the spa services.

A single digital identity can give hospitality companies more control over the guest journey on property. For example, if the property is looking to drive guest traffic to the rooftop pool, an offer for a free drink at the pool bar could be pushed to their mobile device.

SkiftX: What are some challenges you expect hospitality and travel companies to face as they strive to adapt to these new digital merchandising capabilities over the next few years?

Bjornsdottir: Too many companies in the hospitality industry still have a ‘If you build it, they will come’ mentality. However, this doesn’t work with modern consumers. You need to be where they are and offer what they’re looking for in terms that resonate with them.

They’ll first need to put the work in to understand how the customer journey has changed. They’ll need to map out what the new guest journey looks like, uncover the gaps within their current offerings, and strategize what’s needed to move to a more personalized, guest-centered customer experience. Many companies will also need to significantly update their technology. Most hospitality companies won’t be able to support a modern guest journey and all the digital components that come with it with their current tech stack.

Dealing with legacy operations and processes is another challenge. No matter how inefficient or complex the old processes are, it’s often difficult for companies to let go of ingrained habits. Companies will need to foresee where they might encounter resistance to change and think ahead about how they might communicate these changes with all stakeholders, which might mean providing a clear timeline with an overview of how various teams will be impacted, or offering training and supporting employees.

SkiftX: In what ways did the Covid-19 pandemic play a role in how hotels and travel companies will likely adapt to new hospitality tech?

Bjornsdottir: Contactless and self-service technologies were growing in popularity before Covid-19, but they’re increasingly becoming a must-have for operators, especially as some people continue to demand social distancing protocols or new ways they engage and communicate. These tech tools are becoming core components of the modern guest experience. In the coming years, we’ll see more focus on technology that puts guests in the driver seat and gives them the freedom to decide when, how, and to what extent, they wish to interact with people.

SkiftX: What are some lessons the industry can take from this period that can be used going forward?

Bjornsdottir: Although the hospitality industry is inherently physical and in-person, digital has become a key component of the hotel experience. You need to make sure you’re top of mind with consumers when they’re researching, making plans, and considering options — and that now happens predominantly online.

Until now, too many operators have been relying on complex technology, which can only be expanded with costly integrations and lengthy projects. The past year proved that operators need to adopt technology that gives them the agility to change course and add new functionalities as consumer demands shift and opportunities arise.

This content was created collaboratively by LS Retail and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.

Source: Skift

Conference tourism in Kisumu is slowly picking up after being brought to its knees by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kisumu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of tourism, Achie Alai said since the government eased Covid-19 restrictions, conference and business tourism in the area has improved.

The number of people travelling to Kisumu for business and leisure by air daily, she said, tripled from 1, 000 in August to 3, 000 in October.

Six airlines, she added, were operating at least two flights each to Kisumu International Airport (KIA) daily with potential of increasing the number of flights given the rising demand.

An additional 3, 000 people, she said, drive to Kisumu in their personal cars especially during the weekends for business and to sample the lakeside city’s rich entertainment menu.

More visitors, she added, were expected to come through the passenger train which is expected to resume operations in November.

Construction of the Sh1.4 billion Afri-Cities Convention Center at Mamboleo which is expected to be completed by April next year, she said will be a game changer.

With a capacity of 6, 000 delegates and a range of modern conference facilities and break away rooms, she said Kisumu was set to attract key regional and international meetings thus boosting business travel and conference tourism.

“Most of our hotels are now applying for rating by the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) so that when these visitors start trickling in they benefit,” she said.

Even though the lake side city does not have a five star hotel, she said a good number of facilities in the area qualify and were likely to be rated in the new round being conducted by TRA.

Kisumu’s bed capacity, she disclosed, has grown by 10 per cent bringing the total number of beds in the area to 6, 246.

The number, she added, was set to grow further given that some four big hotels are set to open doors for visitors ahead of the Afri-Cities conference slated for May 17-21, 2022.

More beds, she added, were expected from the air b and b sector with some 350 operators already registered.

Through the offices of Sub-County administrators, she said plans were underway to sensitize more locals who have additional space within their homes to embrace home stay tourism as more visitors are expected in the area.

“The tremendous growth in the sector is attributed to the multi-sectoral approach we have taken through bringing together different stakeholders from the county government, national government, state corporations and other players in the sector,” she said.

Through the umbrella body Lake Victoria Tourism Association (LVTA) where all the actors sit, the CECM said strategies have been developed to market Kisumu as the regional conference tourism hub.

Plans, she added, were underway to map out all night clubs in the area after which TRA shall inspect them to ensure that they have modern facilities to attract revelers as the festive season draws near.

Alai made the remarks on Thursday during the official opening of Mirage Palace Hotel in Kisumu.

The hotel adds to the number of high-end facilities coming up in the lakeside city to tap into the rising number of visitors to the area.

Mirage Palace General Manager Titus Ogal said the modern conference facilities, restaurant and rooms have been designed to international standards to set trends in the Western tourism circuit.

Source: KNA

US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a major new Covid vaccine donation for Africa and promised greater commitment to the continent as he welcomed his first African leader, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta.

Meeting at the White House, Biden and the Kenyan president promised to work together on climate change and ending violence on the Horn of Africa, although there appeared to be no headway on Kenya’s hopes on a trade deal.

Biden announced that the United States would immediately donate another 17 million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the African Union, on top of 50 million doses already sent.

“As a continent we are lagging well behind the rest of the world in terms of being able to vaccinate our people,” Kenyatta told Biden in the Oval Office.

“So any additional support like the president just mentioned is greatly welcomed and we look forward to that continued partnership,” he said.

Biden has vowed a leadership role for Washington on vaccines at a time that infections remain stubbornly high in parts of the United States where people refuse widely available shots.

Most of sub-Saharan Africa has vaccination rates in the single digits, at the mercy of foreign donations due to the lack of indigenous production and prohibitive costs of mass purchases.

Kenyatta is the first African leader to visit Biden’s White House amid a slowdown of travel and summits as a Covid-19 precaution.

“I’m committed to further elevating our ties with Kenya and nations across Africa as a whole. But Kenya is the key,” Biden said.

‘Doing a good job’ 

Biden has promised a new focus on democracy after the courting of autocratic leaders by his predecessor Donald Trump — who also made no secret of his lack of interest in Africa.

Long seen as a pillar of stability, Kenya was wracked by political violence including after 2017 elections but Kenyatta has since made peace with his once-bitter rival Raila Odinga.

Kenyatta, who has vowed to fight corruption, came days after the Pandora Papers investigation which found that Kenyatta, together with six family members, owned a network of 11 offshore companies, one valued at $30 million.

Biden did not address the allegations during the brief appearance before reporters but called for “strengthening financial transparency” and praised Kenyatta’s record.

“I want to thank you for your leadership in defending the peace, security and democratic instincts of the region and your country,” Biden said. “You’re doing a good job.”

Aligned on climate, shift on trade 

Kenya is the current president of the UN Security Council and in that capacity as pushed to end fighting in neighbouring Ethiopia, where hundreds of thousands of people are facing extreme hunger.

Kenya is a longstanding US security partner, working closely in another neighbor, Somalia, in combatting Al-Shabaab jihadists.

Kenyatta said he was speaking to Biden about the “fight against terrorism” but also about climate change, ahead of a high-stakes UN conference in Glasgow next month.

“Our country, our continent is the least in terms of emitting but pays the highest price,” Kenyatta said, welcoming Biden’s commitment on climate change since taking over from Trump.

Kenyatta also made a pitch on trade. The Trump administration began talks with Kenya on a free-trade deal; little progress was made but Biden has shown scant sign even of restarting talks amid a growing domestic backlash against big-ticket accords.

Trade “is vital not only in terms of further entrenching American interests on the continent but also in helping us achieve our social-economic agenda,” Kenyatta said.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration would be “working closely” with Kenya on trade but acknowledged: “We are thinking through how we approach foreign trade.”

Kenya is worried as the landmark African Growth and Opportunity Act, which lets sub-Saharan nations with good governance export without duties to the vast US market, is set to expire in 2025.

Source: AFP

Addis Ababa, 04 October 2021: Ethiopian Airlines has signed Codeshare and Interline Agreement with AccessRail to widen connectivity options for its passengers destined to Western Europe, United Kingdom, Scandinavian, Japan and Canada. The agreement avails AccesRails’ wide rail destinations to passengers of Ethiopian Airlines through seamless connectivity with all journey segments contained on a single Ethiopian Airlines ticket.  

Regarding the partnership, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said, “I am glad that we have entered into such a monumental agreement with AccessRail, the world’s leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions. Each year, we are growing in terms of customer service excellence through collaboration with key partners across the globe. As rail travel is becoming popular, especially when traveling regionally or locally, our collaboration with the worlds renowned flight and rail connection provider helps our customers access extra convenience and better connectivity options. In view of expanding our service to markets where Ethiopian has no direct operations to, our partnership with rail services is a great strategic move in enhancing our customer service. I hope the success of the partnership between AccesRail and Ethiopian would be felt throughout our customers.”

Ethiopian Airlines has further developed its air-rail strategy by partnering with the world’s leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions, AccesRail (9B). This new partnership provides Ethiopian Airlines with the ability to expand its network of destinations and to feed ET flights in both interline and codeshare format. In addition, this partnership will offer agents as well as consumers’ new options to book Ethiopian Airlines journeys which include surface sectors via a single process and workflow thus enabling Ethiopian Airlines to extend its value proposition and offer greater content options.

Andrew Popescu, Vice President Business Development, AccesRail, said: “We are excited about our Ethiopian-AccesRail intermodal cooperation which will enable Ethiopian Airlines to offer an important amount of entirely new destinations all over the world to their passengers. Ethiopian Airlines have embraced at a global level the concept of network expansion through air-rail partnership and we are thrilled to help make this strategic vision into a reality.”

Intermodality is becoming a growing part of airline network planning and demand for the service is also increasing with the inception of high-speed rail services. AccesRail is the world’s leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions that specializes in intermodal travel and GDS distribution for passenger railways. 

African airlines are set to see a slight improvement in their financial performances in 2022 from 2021, as countries continue to vaccinate their populations and open up their economies.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), African carriers will recover from a 1.9 billion U.S. dollar loss in 2021 to a 1.5 billion in 2022.

IATA has attributed this slow pace of recovery in the industry to low vaccination rates across the continent. The body says the projected improvement is built on the expectation of some recovery in intra-Africa travel and travel to some tourist destinations with relatively higher vaccination rates.

While Africa has seen a recent rise in vaccine arrivals, most countries struggled to obtain the vital jabs in the period leading to July, leaving the continent vulnerable to reeling from the pandemic effects for longer.

Like most regions globally, Africa’s aviation sector took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, as countries shut their borders and imposed strict travel restrictions in efforts to curb spread of the virus.

Source: CGTN

To mark the official opening of the Expo 2020 Dubai and the African Union Pavilion located in the Opportunity District, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat congratulated the Government of the UAE on the inauguration of the first world expo to be hosted in the MENA region, and added that the African Union welcomes the opportunity to share its vision and the aspirations of the African people on this global platform.

“We plan to share not only our dynamic heritage, but give the world an opportunity to engage with Africa as an investment partner” he remarked.

The Chairperson also expressed his well wishes to the AU team in the United Arab Emirates, who are assigned to represent the Commission and the continent at the world Expo.

“I wish the team all the best as they work to share Africa’s story as best as we know it; creating a narrative that is true and influential, because we best know the potential of the continent” added the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

The team on the ground is led by Dr. Levi Uche Madueke who was appointed by the AUC Chairperson, as the AU Expo Commissioner General. Dr. Madueke will be supported by Mr. Charles Newton Chiumya who serving as the Deputy AU Expo Commissioner General, whilst Mrs. Leslie Richer serves as the AU Pavilion Director.

H.E. Mahamat also stated that the presence of the AU at the Expo 2020 Dubai, offers an opportunity to further entrench the relationship between Africa and the United Arab Emirates, by leveraging on the longstanding economic partnerships in the two regions. He concluded by noting that this is also the opportune time to “showcase the continent’s commitment to sustainable development through the AU Agenda 2063 as well as the exploration of potential partnerships required for its socio-economic transformation.

The AU presence at the Expo 2020 also provides an opportunity to be a part of the created innovative solutions, following consultations with the AU Member States, on how to increase the quality of life and well-being of all African citizens, e.g. access to market through regional integration, and world class infrastructure to enhance accessibility and mobility of persons and goods to facilitate trade, which will ultimately increase economic growth. Africa is open for business with a myriad of opportunities to invest in building the Africa we Want.

“Africa is ready to do business and we want to position the continent as the place to be for all our international investors as well as those interested in the continent’s future. This is the perfect time for us to not only be a part of the conversations, but lead the conversations, as a continent beaming with a lot of untapped potential and resources” said Dr. Madueke.

Throughout the six month-long Expo, there are strategic events that will help shine the light on key African activities as identified by the African Union (AU). These events are instrumental in driving the continent towards the successful realisation of the continental strategic goals as detailed in the Agenda 2063 framework. Dr. Madueke and his team will be based in the United Arab Emirates to ensure that the continent is well represented alongside the African Union Member States, and helping create engagement opportunities that will drive investment and economic opportunities for the African people.

The public, media and all other interested parties can keep up-to-date with the latest out of Dubai as well as get all the necessary information surrounding the AU led activities/events by visiting the official AU at Expo 2020 website.

Join the conversation using #AUatExpo2020 #theAfricawewant

Source: Africa News

Africa’s airline industry flies in the context of a big dilemma as most are in the loss-making zone or near-collapse despite an almost impossible environment to consolidate their operations and trim losses.

Various carriers from across the continent are now expressing willingness to join hands as the magic trick that could cut operation costs, streamline governance and increase profitability, but the many barriers appear heavy for realisation of this dream.

Last month, a workshop bringing together a group of airlines from around the continent to reflect on why Africa has had few partnerships and limited airline consolidation, exposed huge gaps that have made it impossible for carriers, a tactic that has been adopted by the industry on other continents.

Players blamed political differences, regulatory unfriendliness towards the industry and corruption among the main factors hampering Africa’s carriers from coming together.

“The aviation sector is reeling from the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic. We need to devise new approaches of doing business in the face of increasing concerns on the sustainability of African airlines. A crucial element in the success of the African airlines is consolidation and collaboration. The engagement of States, airlines and all the relevant stakeholders is necessary to effectively achieve the required outcomes on airline consolidation in Africa,” said African Airlines Association (Afraa) Secretary General, Mr Abdérahmane Berthé.

Kickbacks

His call came as other stakeholders highlighted the many challenges African airlines undergo even from within the continent, as many jurisdictions still remain rigid, which has been extended to global airlines from other regions.

Stakeholders complain that governments are riddled with red tape, where airlines’ efforts to expand to such markets are always frustrated as some regulators ask for kickbacks.

“The governments are putting too much resistance on partnerships with African airlines. We have also witnessed cases of leaders asking for delay of flights, seeking favours for their relatives to be employed and some countries were not open to providing traffic lights. It took us one year to obtain an operating license to Dakar, Senegal,” said Busera Awel, Ethiopian Airlines’ Group vice president in charge of strategic planning and alliances, while explaining challenges the airline has faced in its expansion drive.

Yet the continent’s airline industry controls only two per cent of global air traffic, according to Afraa, despite the huge potential it portends with most of the African markets exhibiting fastest growths.

Afraa also reports that Africa’s passenger traffic has consistently grown over the past decade and before Covid-19 was projected to hit 3.4 per cent on average over the next two decades. In 2019, African airlines carried 95.6 million passengers, which dropped by 63.7 per cent after the onset of Covid-19 last year.

Before the pandemic, the continent’s passenger operations were 20 per cent intra Africa, 38 per cent domestic and 42 per cent intercontinental.

Last year domestic operations took the leading role as jurisdictions across the world placed strict measures to limit movement, with 43 per cent against intercontinental operations that constituted 38 per cent of the industry’s operations.

“Experience has shown that well-executed consolidation is among the building blocks of a resilient and sustainable business operation. The ripple effect of strengthened collaboration and partnerships of airlines will increase the industry’s contribution to sustainable development in Africa and of course the longevity and the stay of this industry in the continent,” said Mr Allan Kilavuka, the Kenya Airways (KQ) managing director.

Stakeholders tabled consolidation options such as operating on an interline agreement, codeshare, global alliance, joint venture through pooling revenues and costs, equity partner where one airline buys stake in another and merger, which provides for unified management of all commercial operations.

Data has shown that market share and profitability of consolidated airlines has consistently increased overtime, and that Africa remains the least consolidated of the aviation markets.

But borrowing from challenges experienced by collapsed airlines that attempted consolidation in the continent and at least issues raised by Ethiopian Airlines- one of the best performing in Africa, the cure for the African airline problem lies beyond the industry, since it will require governments’ cooperation and strong financial and governance support.

For instance, Air Afrique which was a consolidated airline formed by at least 11 West African countries and which operated between 1964 and 2002, collapsed because of heavy political interference, despite having improved connectivity, socio-economic integration, tourism and fast tracked development in member States.

“I believe that the concept of Air Afrique as a multinational remains relevant to date, but political interference is something to watch. This is to be achieved through appropriate governance structure,” said CDA Aviation CEO Chamsou Andjorin.

Regions such as North America and Middle East whose airline markets are highly consolidated are reported to operate cost-effectively with dominant market shares, while Africa which is least consolidated is ranked the worst.

Financing a project to consolidate African airlines would also be a big headache for the continent were it to take that route, since banks have set strict requirements- including the project’s financial viability and an assessment of individual airlines’ financial health. Most of the airlines in the continent operate on losses and have been kept alive by government bailouts.

Feasibility studies

AU has called on banks to finance feasibility studies on the project.

Even as this happens, various airlines continue to form partnerships in their individual capacities to boost their chances of survival, while pointing to the possibility that a pan African airline group could be in the offing.

Just days ago, KQ entered into a cooperation agreement with the South Africa Airways (SAA) to boost passenger traffic, cargo opportunities and general trade.

But a statement by the airlines also indicated that the deal was “with a longer-term view to co-starting a pan-African Airline Group that in time will enhance mutual growth potential between the two carriers.”

Mr Romain Ekoto, the African Development Bank (AfDB’s) Chief Aviation officer; Infrastructure and Urban Development, however notes that even though the bank would play a critical catalytic role in easing the industry’s access to financing and spearhead a feasibility study, clear commitment and guarantee from governments and the financial health of airlines would be a crucial thing to consider before the bank putting its money into such a huge project.

Source: Nation

Airlines reported a surge in bookings to South Africa ahead of the UK government’s dramatic travel review announcement on Thursday.

Virgin Atlantic told the Evening Standard it has seen a 150 per cent jump in bookings to the destination in the past few days, after experts tipped the country to be among dozens of countries likely to fall off the UK travel red list.

Travellers are especially keen to lock in flights around Christmas time, in South Africa sweltering summer, when airfares usually rocket to several thousands pounds.

Speculation had been growing around other red list countries like Brazil and Mexico, which industry experts thought would also be removed from the list.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapp announced on Thursday that 47 countries are coming off the red list, including a string of popular holiday destinations including South Africa, Argentina, Cuba, Thailand and Tunisia.

Being take off the red list means returning holidaymakers will not have to stay in quarantine hotels for 11 nights at a cost of over £2,200.

Virgin Atlantic operates services from Heathrow to Cape Town and Johannesburg three times a week. A spokeswoman for the airline said: “In advance of the Red list review today, we have seen our bookings to South Africa increase by 150% over the past four days, compared to the four days prior.

“The majority of bookings are for passengers originating from the UK however we are also seeing an increase in passengers originating from South Africa as well. The new bookings are for travel in November and December this year in particular around the Christmas period.”

In a further easing of restrictions, the Government has lifted its advice against non-essential travel to 32 countries and territories.

Bangladesh, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana and Malaysia are among the locations for which travel advice based on the risk of coronavirus has been relaxed, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Wednesday.

Britons will not longer be told to avoid all but essential travel to non-red list countries on Covid-19 grounds except in “exceptional circumstances” such as if the local healthcare system is overwhelmed, the FCDO added.

This should make it easier for people visiting those locations to obtain travel insurance.

Source: Evening Standard

The UK High Commission has announced that vaccinated Kenyans traveling to the UK will no longer have to quarantine.

UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott on Thursday said this takes effect on October 11.

Vaccinated Kenyans will also not need to take a Covid test upon departure.

A spokesperson for the British High Commission said:

“We are pleased to announce that from Monday, October 11, those vaccinated in Kenya will be able to travel to the UK without having to undertake any quarantine or take a Covid-19 test before departure. Thanks to our strong partnership with the Ministry of Health, we have completed the process to recognise vaccine certificates from Kenya.”

Marriott added that:

“This is great news for our peoples, Kenya-UK trade, and the tourism sector as we move closer to getting back to normal.”

This comes as the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps announced that he will be making changes to the travel list, so that travelers visiting England have fewer entry requirements, by recognising those with a fully-vax status syringe from 37 new countries.

In his remarks, Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK Manoah Esipisu said that the latest step is a boost to tourism and business travel.

Before traveling to England, fully vaccinated Kenyans will need to enter their Covid-19 test booking reference number on their passenger locator form.

After arriving in England, the travelers must take a Covid-19 test on or before day two.

The travelers must also book the Covid test if they will be arriving in England from abroad.

Also, travelers can compare and choose a test provider based on cost and whether they are available in their region.

“The government does not endorse or recommend any specific test provider – you should do your own research about them and their terms and conditions.”

Source: The Star