The United States has lowered its travel advisory risk level for South Africa.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reshuffled its four-tier travel advisory list on February 7, shifting South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, and Malawi from the "Level 4" to the "Level 3" category. The move has been greeted positively by the travel industry, with Flight Centre Managing Director Euan McNeil stating that it is good news for both inbound and outbound visitors.

"We have seen international travel enquiries pick up in 2022 as global travel restrictions ease and the world starts to open up again." "The US is a large source market for South Africa, and it is, therefore, encouraging that air access is resuming," he adds.

The move will help to open up South Africa's wealth of natural attractions such as Kruger National Park, the Garden Route, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and others to American visitors.

To qualify for the CDC's "Level 3" category, countries had to have detected only between 100 and 500 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the previous 28 days. According to the revised risk assessment, travellers should ensure they are vaccinated and up-to-date on their COVID-19 immunizations.

South Africans travelling to the US are required to be fully vaccinated and to have received a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours.