With COVID-19 vaccine rolling out, the travel sector seems to be getting back to normal gradually. Starting April, holidaymakers will be able to book their flights for the gorgeous African beach destination, Seychelles. The government has announced that the destination will be open to visitors from March 25, 2021, though travellers will have to carry their negative PCR-test taken within 72 hours prior to departure.
Air Seychelles has already opened booking from Mumbai to Mahe, and the first flight will leave on April 8, 2021.
No quarantine required
The tourism board of Seychelles has scraped all the quarantine rules and there won’t be any restriction of movement upon arrival. Minimum stay requirement has also been shelved for now. Travellers can also move freely and enjoy at their hotel’s common areas like the bar, swimming pool, spa and the kids’ club.
However, people are still required to follow all safety measures including face masks, social distancing, and sanitisation.
The Minister for foreign affairs and tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, said, “We have now arrived at the point where opening our borders further is the next step to allow for our economic recovery. The measures being announced reflect broadly the recommendation of our tourism partners and have been done in full consultation with and the endorsement of our health authorities.”
As per the reports, revenues from tourism in Seychelles fell 61 per cent last year because COVID-19 restrictions had cut arrivals by 70 per cent. Seychelles began vaccinating its people in January, and over 98000 of its residents have received the doses.
So far, Seychelles has reported 2929 COVID-19 positive and 13 deaths.