Mauritius prepares to reopen borders, but South African travellers’ fate hangs in the balance
Mauritius is expected to reopen borders by mid-2021. However, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) said the country was unsure when its borders will open to South African travellers. According to MTPA, consultations have intensified among tourism partners in Mauritius to open borders to international travel around mid-2021.
"Working groups have been set up to define travel protocols and evaluate optimal air connectivity options, in addition to designing global communications campaigns for the restart of tourism. IATA believes that travel will recover faster than expected because of the rapidly growing vaccinated population and advancement in testing. Developed countries are expected to vaccinate more than 50% of their population by the third quarter of 2021. Mauritius has secured enough vaccine orders to meet its vaccination targets and achieve herd immunity within the next few months," the statement revealed.
MTPA revealed that preparations in Mauritius were progressing amidst this growing optimism and the outlook that people have retained the desire to travel. While Mauritius hasn't released an official date for their reopening, travellers can look forward to white sand beaches, reefs, lagoons and stunning temples.
There's plenty to see and do, and travellers should explore Port Louis, Grand Baie, Mahebourg, Le Morne, Chamarel and Rodrigues.
Meanwhile, Air Seychelles will resume direct services from Johannesburg to the Seychelles and Maldives this month.
The flights will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays from O R Tambo International Airport to Seychelles from June 5. The airline said it would include an overnight service on Saturday nights to provide more flexibility to those planning a quick getaway. There is a catch: all passengers travelling to Seychelles must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before travelling, in addition to holding a negative PCR test before departure.
They also need to provide proof of valid travel insurance and completed mandatory Health Travel Authorisation at seychelles.govtas.com will also be required upon check-in before departure.
