Following a Sunday update made to the Health
Entry and Stay Conditions for Travellers, entry and stay conditions will not be
affected by the COVID-19 vaccination status of visitors. Visitors however are
strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated prior to traveling to the island
nation in the western Indian Ocean.
Passengers from South Africa will not have to
undergo quarantine upon arrival in Seychelles although proof of a negative
COVID-19 PCR test done within 72h of departure needs to be provided. A 'Health
Travel Authorisation' - to be carried out online at
https://seychelles.govtas.com/ - also needs to be completed.
Valid travel and health insurance which covers
COVID-19 related quarantine, isolation or treatment must also be provided.
During their stay in Seychelles, as is the
case for other visitors, those from South Africa will have to reside in a
certified tourism establishment with no minimum length of stay in the first
establishment.
Seychelles imposed the ban on visitors from
South Africa early this year to address the threat of a new South African COVID
variant.
The Tourism Seychelles regional director for
Africa & the Americas, David Germain, said that the arrival of the South
African travellers back to Seychelles' shores is long overdue.
"Travellers want to stay safe in a pure
environment whilst on holiday and what better place than Seychelles at this
time of uncertainty. Tourism operators and their staff have all been trained to
minimise and mitigate the risk posed by COVID-19, developing standard operating
protocols in collaboration with the health authorities, earning COVID-safe
certification," said Germain.
He added that "in South Africa itself,
mass vaccination of the South African public has already begun and is taking
place nationwide in the country, and this is instilling confidence in
travel."
The tourism minister, Sylvestre Radegonde, who
also welcomed the news, said that the reopening of the Seychelles' borders to
this market presents great opportunities, primarily for the fly-fishing niche.
He added that "with over 70 percent of
our population fully vaccinated and the vaccination of adolescents aged between
12 and 18 years well underway, Seychelles is doing what is necessary to keep
both its population and its visitors safe."
At the moment visitors from Bangladesh,
Brazil, India, Nepal and Pakistan remain on the restricted list for entry into
Seychelles. Visitors from those countries can only travel to Seychelles if they
have done 14 days in another country.
The tourism department said in a press release
that "the Tourism Seychelles Office in South Africa is ready with
marketing activities programmed to take place in South Africa and the other
African countries over the next few months."
This will be a series of trade and consumer activities
which will include a Seychelles Africa Virtual Roadshow' being the main
activity. The roadshow will provide products and services as well as important
travel advisory updates to the African travel trade community for travel to
Seychelles.
A series of 'Seychelles Virtual Destination
training', press trips and travel trade familiarisation visits to Seychelles
are scheduled for November as well as consumer advertising campaigns and
joint-collaboration marketing efforts with the South African travel trade.
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