The probable prolongation of the state of emergency in Italy, with the near certainty that after December 15 almost nothing will change for travel beyond the Schengen area, the not good news coming from the rest of Europe and the latest statements of the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza have given the coup de grace to the already slim chances of seeing the charter flights to Kenya and Zanzibar restart for the Christmas holidays. As can be seen in the bookings on the official Alpitour website and in the announcements sent to the hotels and resorts connected to the tourist destinations in East Africa, the Neos flights that should have resumed on December 21, according to the programs online until some time ago, are suspended until January 31, 2022.
In fact, bookings for package vacations will resume on February 1, 2022.
After the corporate difficulties that led to the closure of the other Italian charter company Blu Panorama, this decision puts an end to the possibility of a restart of organized tourism to Kenya for the winter season. In fact, it is hard to believe that a resort that has been closed for two years, or at any rate one that travels at a reduced pace, can start up again in February, with only one month of high season and another (March) that already in normal years did not have too satisfactory inflows. As some Italian entrepreneurs in Watamu had already predicted in the early days, the return of charters and organized vacations will presumably have to wait until July 2022, if, of course, no other health and safety obstacles are added.