Please note that this blog post was written in August 2021. For the latest travel updates, please visit our Travel with Confidence pages.
Eighteen months on, and one thing remains clear – we need to rise to this generational challenge. And today, we are calling on your help!
Here in South Africa, we continue to look to tourism as the force that uplifts communities and protects our wildlife. Tourism enriches our travellers’ lives and supports the livelihoods of millions. Therefore, now is our opportunity to act to ensure we maintain decades of brand equity and conservation built on the foundation of bringing guests to African soil.
The Devastating Effect of The United Kingdom Red List
A recent comprehensive World Travel and Tourism Council study has revealed the staggering consequences that the UK ‘red list’ represents to South Africa’s Travel and Tourism sector and our national economy already devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
With over 470,000 Travel and Tourism jobs already lost due to the lack of international travel, the South African economy continues to lose more than ZAR 181 million (GBP 8.8 million) every week that we remain on the United Kingdom’s ‘red list’ for travel.
As South Africa’s number one international source market, it’s clear that the red list travel restrictions to Southern Africa are unfair. And there are no scientific justification provided by the UK government. As such, they are inflicting unnecessary but real social, environmental, and economic hardship on families, businesses, and supply chains alike.
Help Remove South Africa from The United Kingdom Red List
We’re asking all our UK guests, friends, and families to join us in signing a petition to the UK government to remove South Africa from this red list of travel restrictions.
Sign the Petition here
In doing so, we urge the UK government to follow the science and approach taken by other European countries. These include Germany, France, Norway, and Switzerland. Here, quarantine is no longer required for fully vaccinated citizens travelling to or from South Africa.
The science and this approach have shown that we can still slow the spread of Covid-19 while enabling mobility and boosting both countries’ economies. It negates the need for UK travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, to incur the expensive mandatory quarantines when travelling to countries on the ‘red list’. And this in addition to the unnecessary costs for Covid-19 tests. In short, it will allow for the long-awaited commencement of travel between South Africa and the United Kingdom.
In terms of UK government protocol, a petition of 10,000 signatures gets a response. While petitions with over 100,000 signatures are considered for debate in the UK parliament.
We’re calling on all our UK friends to help us get the UK government to review its travel policy towards South Africa urgently. And to ensure they align it with the latest scientific evidence, removing South Africa from the travel ‘red list’.
We thank you for your support!
Our Inherent Need to Travel: About Rhino Africa
Today the world may be different from what we were used to. But one thing that will undoubtedly never change is our desire to travel!
We at Rhino Africa are Safari Experts. However, with so many different tailor-made experiences, it can be tricky to decide. Luckily, our team of Travel Experts are here to help whittle down your options to help find the perfect African safari for you.
So wherever you might dream of going, you can rest assured that we at Rhino Africa are enthusiastically booking travel again. You can start planning by browsing our website. However, nothing on our site will compare to chatting to one of our Travel Experts.
Contact us today and let’s start planning!
About WTTC
WTTC is the body representing the global Travel and Tourism private sector. Members therefore include the Presidents, Chairs, and Chief Executives of the world’s leading private sector Travel and Tourism businesses. Collectively, they bring specialist knowledge to guide government policy and decision-making, thereby raising awareness of the sector’s importance.
As the industry’s voice, WTTC has a history of 25 years of research to quantify the sector’s economic impact in 185 countries. Travel and Tourism is a key driver for investment and economic growth globally, contributing US$8.8 trillion or 10.4% of global GDP and accounting for 319 million jobs or one in ten of all jobs on the planet.
Visit the World Travel and Tourism Council Website
Read more about how we’re navigating Covid-19 here:
On Sunday 12th Sept 2021 only 32,874 signatures have been added to the petition – come on all you South Africans with UK voting rights and friends please sign.