At the end of 2019, very few people had even heard of the coronavirus that came to be known as COVID-19. But during January 2020 both the UK and the USA had experienced their first few cases, and at the end of the month the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency. Just two months later, in March, many countries were advising against all but essential travel – and suddenly, the world seemed a lot smaller. By June 2020, most of Safari Africa was closed.
There were windows of opportunity to travel in 2020-2021, when people jumped at the chance to take their holidays. But the governments of most nations have largely advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel.
During this entire period, a specially put together team within YZ postponed and reorganised thousands of holidays, re-creating trips for those who became unable to travel over their original sets of dates. Our suppliers have been incredible through all of this, helping us to shift schedules with minimal fuss.