According to an article in MSN news, Africa is a top choice for post-COVID travel. This should come as no surprise as Africa is filled with wide-open spacing, warm hospitality and break-taking sights. With South Africa topping the list and Namibia ranking fifth place, we can prepare ourselves for a positive rise in tourism to follow once this pandemic has subsided.

South Africa has been praised for its swift response to the coronavirus pandemic and offers boundless opportunities for both international and local travellers. Therefore, travellers can look forward to an abundance of safe ways to explore when they visit these shores, such as:

• Exclusive safaris in hundreds of private reserves and national parks;
• Serene escapes to the Winelands or countryside;
• Mountaineering adventures and hiking opportunities in unspoiled terrain; and
• Kilometres of unspoiled beaches on both coasts.

The South African tourism industry has severely been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, all anticipated income from our general school holidays and Easter travel periods have been lost and many jobs in the industry have been made redundant. While no-one can predict with certainty what the future of post-COVID travel holds, it’s great news that travellers aren’t giving up their aspirations any time soon.

Many tourists have shown interest to start travelling as soon as this global pandemic has blown over, while others have shown preference to wait until 2021. This is good news for the struggling South African tourist industry which is currently awaiting news from the National Command Council (NCC) as to exactly when domestic tourism will be allowed and when the country will open up to international guests.

One big positive for all is that car hire, domestic and international flights, as well as accommodation offerings, are predicted to run many specials and offer reduced rates to promote travel as we get back into the swing of things. Many hotels and tour agencies are offering as much as 35% off of advance bookings to help them get through this period of inactivity.

As a nation, we can remain positive that once the world opens up travel, South Africa will still be ranked on many traveller’s bucket lists and we will slowly see the tourism industry thrive again.