SOUTH AFRICA SHUT TO TOURISTS UNTIL 2021

Britons wanting to return to South Africa will have to be patient, after the country’s government said it was not planning to reopen to international tourists until next year.

South Africa has begun to ease a lockdown brought into effect in

March, but the Department of Tourism has said domestic travel will not resume until December, with overseas visitors not welcome until February 2021.

Nkhensani Kubayi-Ngubane, the tourism minister, said: “Based on the Covid-19 epidemic expected trajectory, the first phase of the recovery for the sector will be driven by domestic tourism, followed by regional tourism and international tourism next year.”

South Africa has had more than 37,000 cases, with 792 deaths.

MALDIVES BACKTRACKS ON COSTLY VISA PLAN

The Maldives has backtracked on plans to charge visitors for a $100 (£80) visa as well as another $100 for a Covid-19 antigen test on arrival.

The Indian Ocean island nation says it still plans to reopen in July, but the Ministry of Tourism confirmed: “We… want to assure our guests that they will not be charged any additional fees to enter the Maldives.”

Ali Waheed, the tourism minister, went further in a webinar organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, promising that the Maldives will be “a more affordable and safer destination”. There was considerable backlash last week after the announcement. Though the charges have been dropped, it seems travellers will still need to present a positive antibody test on arrival.

MORE ONLINE

Which are the countries offering to pay for your post-lockdown holiday? To find out, visit telegraph.co.uk/ tt-welcomeback

‘LOST VILLAGE’ OF TUSCANY

A small Italian village lost to a manmade reservoir in the Forties could resurface as part of a plan to attract tourists.

Fabbriche di Careggine in Tuscany was submerged in 1947, when a dam was built on a local river, forming Lake Vagli. It last re-emerged in 1994, when the lake was drained temporarily, and hundreds of visitors were able to walk its streets and marvel at the shells of medieval buildings.

Now, tourism authorities in Vagli di Sotto have suggested the lake could be drained permanently as part of a “tourism enhancement project”.

Italy reopened its borders to tourists this week, despite being one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic.