Holiday in Africa – Information for travellers
Covid-19 poses new challenges to holidaymakers and those who organize travelling. Tour Operators, airlines and most of all the local people in Africa do everything they can to guarantee a safe stay for their guests: This has been the case in the past and continues to be especially now in times of social-distancing.
VOICE4AFRICA intends to provide transparent information. The platform offers inspiration for a trip to Africa and supports future Africa travelers when preparing their holiday. A further aim is promoting differentiated travel advice that takes into account the overall precautionary measures.
Our parners are ready
Even if it is only a slow start, but it’s starting again and the first guests are allowed to travel to Africa! Africa like 50 years ago, a vast nature and little tourism.
National parks and game reserves are financed between 70-100% by tourism revenues and national park fees. Appropriate hygiene protocols for the ’new age of travelling’ have long been introduced and ’social distancing‘ and distance are implemented in game areas and small safari accommodations in an exemplary way.
We received an email from our friends in Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya with an endless number of smileys and hearts saying: We are open, you can come back to us. With our sophisticated health concept, we are able to respond to everything that we do not know yet.
Every day that we have to spend in Germany and are not allowed to travel to Africa, the longing to finally be able to experience this incredibly beautiful region of the world with our own senses grows increases more and more… We can not wait to experience… AFRICA – instead of only our dreams!
We miss the warm hospitality and friendliness of the people as well as the untouched nature. And for the local people, the consequences are devastating if no international tourists, guests and friends cannot be welcomed.
On which continent do we have such a diversity of species in the national parks, a wealth of great culture thousands of years old, tribal life which is authentically preserved into the 21st century, hospitality which stands for friendliness? And that with a mostly first-class infrastructure.
There is probably no better time than now to discover the untouched nature and the animal diversity of East Africa undisturbed. All service providers on site make an extraordinary effort to ensure the safety of the guests. The generous spatial conditions on site allow the implementation in a friendly and sympathetic way.
We are happy about every trip to Africa that can take place again. The local people need tourism and their efforts for a safe stay of the travelers deserve our respect. Everyone should get to know this wonderful continent with its warm hospitality and the diverse wildlife.
Travelling to Africa in times of Covid-19
Vastness, vastness, vastness – Africa has what is demanded particularly in times of Covid-19. The continent offers guests space in abundance. Wilderness and breathtaking nature give the second largest continent in the world a diverse facet. Before the outbreack of Covid-19, landscape, people and wildlife sparked enthusiasm and ensured a livelihood for the locals. People and animals in Africa will continue to rely on foreign guests in the future!
Recently, tourism has been booming on the black continent. In 2018, Africa received about 67 million international tourist arrivals ➝ (Source: Deutsche Welle). In South Africa alone, more than 700,000 people work in tourism, in Uganda it is only slightly less. Looking at the entire continent of Africa, many people are employed in tourism or their jobs are indirectly related to it. If tourists stay away, the livelihood of numerous locals and businesses is threatened. A social system that caters for these people does only exist in very few African countries. From the operator of a lodge to the greengrocer, many people in Africa depend heavily on the income from tourism.
In many parts of the world, tourism secures the livelihood of the locals. In third world countries and emerging markets, the situation is particularly precarious when international guests are absent. This is what is currently happening in African national parks and game reserves, for example: They are 70 to 100 per cent financed by income from tourism and national park fees. If these funds are dropped due to a lack of tourism, many national parks will not have the means available to protect animals from poachers. Hotel owners, excursion entrepreneurs and employees from the catering trade are equally affected. The supply chains are long and interdependent; for African tourist businesses, no demand implies the end of their business faster than in Europe.
Current holiday-situation in Africa (status: February 2022)
The Federal Foreign Office updates the travel information for countries worldwide ➝ on a daily basis. Based on the everchanging developments in each country, the Federal Foreign Office regularly reviews its travel warnings and classifies each country individually referring to the list of risk areas ➝ of the Robert Koch Institute. Travelers returning from high-incidence and mutation areas must observe the countries‘ corresponding quarantine regulations. Both sources of information are important for an assessment of one’s own travel plans, possible quarantine requirements, necessary negative covid 19 tests/ recovery or vaccination proof requirements upon re-entry to Germany, and the conclusion of travel health insurance policies abroad.
Helpful for an assessment of the situation on site is a look at the websites of the tourist offices and specific inquiries with the tour operators. Neither the classification as a high-risk area nor the travel warning is a travel ban, but entry in Germany for unvaccinated persons from other countries returning from third countries is only possible in exceptional cases.
About Voice4Africa
Voice4Africa is an initiative of the PR and communications agency KPRN network. For more than 26 years the agency has been representing countries, airlines and tour operators – many of them from Africa. Some friendships have developed over the decades and above all tourism in the country has been successfully promoted. Now it is a matter of the heart to support the local people and to combine all the forces of those responsible for tourism in Africa. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland this includes above all medium-sized specialist tour operators. They are committed to sustainable tourism in Africa and know the local partners personally.
Voice4Africa sees itself above all as a network of media, embassies, airlines, tour operators, tourism boards and associations. Travel restrictions due to Covid-19 will continue to determine tourist traffic for some time to come. This makes it even more important to keep the attention on Africa high as well as to promote responsible and sustainable travel. Because safe travel is possible again and creates opportunities for residents as well as for animal protection.
Our Partners to travel to Africa
Here you find updates on selected African countries
This list will be continuously updated.
Travels by plane in times of Covid-19
Based on scientific studies, including statements by the German Robert Koch Institute, air transport is considered the mode of transport with the lowest risk of infection. This is due to targeted safety and hygiene concepts, permanent air circulation in the cabin and the imposed order to wear a mask on board. Further information about safety on board is also provided by the airline association
BARIG ➝.