The European vacations industry, already decimated by the absence of all travel during lockdown, is experiencing a financial second wave of its own...
Following the announcement of the lifting of travel restrictions for over border travel, Airlink has confirmed the re-introduction of its regional flight schedule commencing from 5 October.
Commencing 5 October 2020
Johannesburg/Harare: The introduction of a daily mid-morning service will provide travelers with seamless connectivity on Airlink between Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as local routes such as Port Elizabeth, East London and others. The flight will depart Johannesburg at 10h30 arriving in Harare at 12h10. The return flight will depart Harare at 12h40 arriving in Johannesburg at 14h35.
Commencing 12 October 2020
New route: Johannesburg/Maputo the introduction of the early afternoon service will operate on Wednesdays and Fridays and provide convenient onward connections. The flight will depart Johannesburg at 13h45 arriving at Maputo at 14h40. The return flight will depart Maputo at 15h15 arriving in Johannesburg at 16h25.
The airline’s regular services will also be introduced on:
Travellers will also now have the freedom to combine their local and regional flights from the major cities such as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, and Nelspruit, to regional destinations such as Harare, Lusaka, Maputo on Airlink services, seamlessly, on a single ticket itinerary.
Airlink also stated that it will make further announcements soon regarding services between Johannesburg – Windhoek, Johannesburg – Entebbe, Johannesburg – Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg – Luanda, Johannesburg – Lubumbashi, Cape Town – Victoria Falls, Cape Town – Maun, Johannesburg – Gaborone, Johannesburg – Maun, Johannesburg – Kasane, Johannesburg – Antananarivo, Johannesburg – Nosy Be, Johannesburg – Vilanculos, Johannesburg – Maseru, Johannesburg – Manzini, and Johannesburg – Livingstone.
Under the COVID-19 Level 1 travel restrictions, Government requires travellers to South Africa to provide a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificate obtained not more than 72 hours before the date of travel from an accredited laboratory and in line with WHO requirements. The South African Authorities reserve the right to verify the authenticity of PCR test certificates presented by travellers.
An “immunity passport” or “risk-free certificate”, “passport immunity” in respect of COVID-19 is not acceptable.
There are 5 important items that passengers should remember before travelling to the airport visit https://www.flyairlink.com/covid-19-travel-updates#flyingsafely5importa.
Due to the ongoing business recue process, which has entered its final stage, South African Airways would like has issued a notice to agents advising the trade of the extended suspension of its schedule.
The entire network will remain suspended for the month of October 2020. The flights have been removed from all booking platforms, therefore, a UN notification will be issued on the GDS.
Please see below a link to the Travel Advisory with further details on the available options and the necessary procedures to be followed.
The no-refund policy remains in force for the time being, please await further communication from the airline before processing any refund requests.
Click here to download the Travel Advisory.
Emirates will resume flights to Johannesburg (1 October), Cape Town (1 October), Durban (4 October) in South Africa; Harare in Zimbabwe (1 October); and Mauritius (3 October). The addition of the five points will expand the Emirates’ global network to 92 destinations, as the airline gradually resumes its operations while prioritising the safety of its customers, crew and the communities it serves around the world. Emirates’ African network will also now extend to 19 cities.
Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ three South African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, the Far East, Middle East, West Asia and Australasia. Flight schedules for Emirates’ South African destinations will be available on emirates.com later this week.
Emirates will operate to Harare with two weekly flights linked to its Lusaka service. The linked services will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Americas, Australasia and West Asia with one convenient stop in Dubai.
Flights from Dubai to Mauritius will initially operate once a week on Saturdays, supporting the Mauritian government’s repatriation efforts to bring its citizens home, and enabling the recovery of the country’s tourism industry by safely connecting leisure travellers from Europe, the Far East and the Middle East to the popular Indian Ocean island destination.
Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents.
Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.
Source: Southern and East African Tourism Update:
The new National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR) board – appointed on August 1 by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula – includes two high-level representatives from the Department of Tourism. But who are the board members and when will they be announced?
This was raised by COO of SATSA, Hannelie du Toit, at this week’s National Tourism Stakeholder Forum meeting where Director in the Department of Transport, Moeketsi Sikhudo, briefed attendees on progress made around the issuing of tour operator licences.
Du Toit commented that industry had submitted 13 recommendations of people from the tourism industry – who understood the unique challenges of tour operators versus minibus taxis – to serve on the board. But, to date, the new NPTR board has yet to be named.
She welcomed the addition of the two Department of Tourism representatives to the board but said further clarity was needed.
The backlogs regarding the issuing of tour operator licences by the NPTR has been a major obstacle to tourism growth, with many tour operators facing closure of their businesses as a result of not receiving their licences on time. It was hoped that a new NPTR board would make a difference.
Sikhudo said the Minister would announce the new board soon.
Why is accreditation required?
Du Toit also highlighted the issue – a major bugbear for industry – around all applications for commercial transport being treated the same. “There is no difference between accredited and non-accredited operators at the moment. Why is accreditation required then?”
She added: “The NPTR seems to be overstepping its authority by requesting documents to make their own decisions on whether a business is viable or not. The function of the NPTR should be to ensure that the transport that is provided is safe for passengers. What speciality and knowledge do they have of the tourism industry to be able to judge business viability? Documents such as business plans, recent invoices, letter of motivation (which often comes from competitors). Will this be addressed?”
Sikhudo noted Du Toit’s concerns and said he would raise these with the Minister, adding that the concerns and questions could also be raised by industry via the two Department of Tourism representatives on the NPTR board.
Massive backlog
He acknowledged the massive backlog in issuing operator licences, ascribing this to, amongst others, the move toward a paperless system (National Land Transport Information System), the expiry in November 2019 of the previous board and the regulator not meeting as often as possible.
“Furthermore, helpdesk officials spend endless hours either telephonically or via email requesting and advising applicants to send the correct documents as per the requirements. This is indicative of a lack of awareness of the NPTR requirements for applications,” said Sikhudo.
He said these challenges would be addressed via awareness campaigns and regular industry workshops and the continuous training of staff.
“The NPTR will also be empowered to take over and perform all the functions stipulated in the NLTA (National Land Transport Authority),” said Sikhudo.
Facts and figures
Applications
Backlog
According to the NLTA, the backlog comprises or refers to applications that have been received and passed the 60-day (period at which they should have been finalised).
Read the original article here.
The Department of Tourism has gazetted updated Directions on the risk-adjusted strategy for tourism facilities, services and products.
The following amendments to Directions have been made
Amendment of paragraph 11 of the Directions
Paragraph 11.1 of the Directions is amended by the substitution for paragraph 11.1 of
the following paragraph:
“11.1 Attendance at a venue for a wedding, exhibition or any other function is limited to 50 percent of the capacity of the venue with a maximum of 250 persons at an indoor venue and a maximum of 500 persons at an outdoor venue: Provided that persons participating through electronic platforms are not included in these limitations and all hygienic conditions and physical distancing measures are adhered to, in order to limit the exposure of persons to COVID -19.”
Addition of Paragraph 13 to the Directions:
“Certificate of Occupancy
13. The owner or operator of a restaurant, conferences, meetings, weddings, exhibitions or functions venue, a hotel, lodge, bed and breakfast, timeshare facility, resort, guest house or a casino must display a certificate of occupancy which sets out the maximum number of persons the facility may hold. “.
To download the updated Directions, click here.
As we all try to find our feet in the tourism industry post-COVID19, we have to educate ourselves and make use of all the digital platforms that are currently available to us.
Please join Women in Tourism and Dr Nomvuselelo Songelwa, CEO of Jurni on an exciting workshop that will prepare you for the future.
Jurni is a new ground-breaking public-private sector initiative, which aims to contribute to an inclusive, transformed, information-driven South African Tourism Industry, through an automated, interfaced travel and tourism information system.
This centralised business intelligence hub and user-friendly platform for tourism in South Africa provides credible information and insights which brings together the travel and tourism industry players through collaboration. The initiative contributes to inclusive economic growth, job opportunity creation and transformation for all South Africans.
Join the workshop on 29 September at 3pm to explore the Jurni online tourism platform with the assistance of Dr Songelwa and see how tourism SMMEs can effectively use this online tool to further enhance and promote their tourism businesses.
Register here.
How long after an incident can a client claim for liability? Do I incur liability only if I am negligent? What if a client refuses to sign an indemnity?
You are not alone if you feel daunted by these questions and the complexities around liability and the insurance available to limit your exposure.
From T&Cs to indemnities to jurisdiction, SATIB’s most recent webinar addresses these issues and more, for a time of COVID-19 and beyond.
SATIB’s own underwriting expert, Carla Gillham, and Attorney Stefan de Beer discuss everything you need to know about liability risk, management, cover, and legal implications. However niche your business, ensure that your people and property are protected against liability claims.
View the webinar recording on YouTube or in SATIB’s video gallery. We will be sharing a comprehensive FAQs and with additional resources early next week
‘Dear Travel Partners,
Following the recent announcement that the South African Borders will be opened, airlines are preparing to open up.
However, there is a lot of planning in the background that needs to take place, just a few examples in summary –
– We await the permitted list of countries that South Africa will be permitted to enter South Africa and that South Africans will be able to fly to as this will inform decision making;
– Airlines have to ensure all protocols, operating permits etc. are in place and approved;
– Airlines are currently reviewing business models and strategies, ascertaining as to how much capacity and frequencies to inject in South Africa and even other parts of the world;
– This then results in other processes such as loading of inventory, structuring pricing, which is then filed in the respective systems.
Please free to communicate with the respective airline partners for specific information pertaining to that airline’s processes and decisions.’
Zuks Ramasia
CEO BARSA