March Travel Report

Our March Travel Report by Tiffany Dunn, Ker & Downey’s Director of Sales and Operations

March Travel Report

As more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we are seeing the number of inquiries for future trips rise. Equally encouraging, we have seen the number of departures double each month for the last four months. The trend is only going up. It is safe to say leisure travel is making a comeback.

Latin America and Africa

In Latin America, several destinations are already open. Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica are just a few. Of course, most of Africa is open to Americans for leisure travel including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Seychelles, in fact, is the first country in Africa that is allowing all travelers that have been vaccinated to enter. This means you are exempt from the COVID-19 quarantine requirements if you have been fully vaccinated. As the vaccine is more widely distributed both in the states and abroad, I would expect more countries to follow in their footsteps.

It’s been an encouragement to speak about my recent trip to Rwanda and Kenya to many people. Of course, there were some additional measures in place to protect everyone’s health and safety, but the best part is that I was able to experience the Masai Mara and Volcanoes National Park with no crowds. I just don’t think that will ever happen again in our lifetime. I have heard from several people who went on safari in the 1970s and 1980s. After talking to them, I felt like I got a glimpse of how safari was 50 years ago, but with all the comforts of today. It was really incredible.

Europe

We are also receiving a lot of questions about travel to Europe for this summer. Most of Europe is a gamble for summer travel. Destinations like Italy, France, and other countries in the EU (European Union) will likely not open until late summer or fall. Greece looks promising; they are expected to make a further announcement later this month allowing leisure travelers back starting in May. And of course, places like Slovenia and Turkey, are already open to US citizens.