ROVOS COVID-19 POLICY TERMS & CONDITIONS
11 February 2021, updated 15 June 2021
TEXT PROVIDED BY ROVOS RAIL (PTY) LTD with LTC formatting
Rovos Rail Tours (Pty) Ltd. includes Rovos Rail and Shongololo Express and herein is collectively referred to as ‘Rovos Rail’.
Summary
These terms replace any previous release on COVID-19 and are applicable from 11 February 2021. They remain in place until such time as the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic over and restrictions impacting outbound travel (in particular countries or advisories in place in Rovos Rail’s countries of operation) are lifted.
Rovos Rail reserves the right to make changes to this policy given the fluidity of COVID-19. Once this pandemic is declared over, we will revert back to our standard T&C.
Please note that these terms are applicable for our SHORT JOURNEYS ONLY and only valid for INDIVIDUAL travellers. Any changes to GROUP bookings need to be handled separately by your Account Manager and on a case-by-case basis. Covid-19 policies for LONG JOURNEYS are not included in these terms.
Please contact alicia@rovos.co.za regarding these journeys: Dar es Salaam, Trail of Two Oceans, Copper Trail and African Trilogy.
Please contact querida@rovos.co.za regarding these journeys: Golf Safari, African Collage, Namibia Safari, Good Hope, Dune Express, Southern Cross and Malawi Meander.
Background
The President of South Africa declared a nationwide “Level 5” lockdown from 27 March to 30 April 2020 where all non- essential businesses closed. From 1 May 2020, we entered “Level 4” lockdown as part of a risk-adjusted strategy to stimulate the economy. From 1 June 2020 we entered “Level 3”, from 17 August 2020 we entered “Level 2”, from 21 September 2020 we entered “Level 1” and, as of 28 December 2020, we re-entered an indefinite period of “adjusted Level 3”.
Health protocols such as sanitising, social distancing and mask-wearing will continue to be strictly observed.
International travel has been allowed from 1 October 2020 as long a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of travel is produced.
The President’s speeches can be found here along with traveller requirements.
Rovos Rail is closely monitoring the situation, which is evolving on a moment by moment basis.
At this time we are still operating as per our schedules from 20 January 2021 onwards.
We will be approaching each journey as it comes to establish the risk while also adhering to government requirements and listening to the wishes of our passengers.
Rovos Special COVID-19 Policy Terms
In order to accommodate the varying worldwide travel restrictions, we have introduced special COVID-19 Policy Terms (detailed below) that will take effect 90 days prior to each departure.
Please appreciate that our business is not like most hospitality operators therefore, due to the high costs associated with running our trains, we need to insist on stricter terms and conditions.
Should Rovos Rail cancel a journey, a 100% refund will be offered or clients will have the option to postpone their booking to a future date.
Given the unpredictability of global events, we recommend clients keep us updated and give us as much notice as possible to cancel/postpone their booking.
Should clients elect to postpone or cancel bookings that are 61 days or more away from the departure date, Rovos Rail’s standard T&C apply.
COVID-19 POLICY TERMS - SHORT JOURNEYS
Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Durban Safari
For bookings less than 60 days before departure date only
- Changes to bookings within 60-31 days of your departure date will incur 25% cancellation fees.
- Changes to bookings within 30 days of your departure date will incur 100% cancellation fees as per our standard T&C.
- If you wish to postpone your booking, please notify us 61+ days before departure.
Confirmed Bookings
• Rovos Rail agrees to a 100% cancellation refund as long as you cancel 61+ days before your departure date.
• CONFIRMED & 100% PAID BOOKINGS: If you would prefer to postpone instead of cancel, Rovos Rail agrees to transfer any 100% paid booking to a future travel date if required (subject to availability). Please note that we will NOT charge you the variation in price for the next season. Details about seasons and rate freezes below.
• CONFIRMED WITH A DEPOSIT PAID: If you would prefer to postpone instead of cancel, Rovos Rail agrees to transfer any booking to a future travel date if required (subject to availability).
o If you pay 100% of your booking within 14 days of a postponement date being confirmed, the above terms apply, i.e. we will NOT charge you the variation in price for the next season. Details about seasons and rate freezes below.
o If you do not pay the remainder of your booking within 14 days of a postponement date being confirmed, i.e. we have a deposit payment only, we WILL charge you the variation in price for the next season. Details about seasons and rate freezes below. If we only have a deposit payment, final payment for the balance of the arrangement will be held by the agent until 60 days prior to the passenger’s departure date when 100% payment will be remitted to Rovos Rail.
PLEASE NOTE THE ABOVE RATE & SEASON CONDITIONS ARE APPLICABLE AS FOLLOWS:
Original Travel Date – 1 April 2020-31 December 2020
• You may postpone your booking according to the terms above for up to 2 years from your original travel date, i.e. up to 1 April 2022-31 December 2022.
• The rate freeze is only applicable to the following future date ranges: 1 October 2020-30 September 2021 and 1 October 2021-31 December 2021. From 1 January 2022, the 2022 rate is applicable.
Original Travel Date – 1 January 2021-30 September 2021
• You may postpone your booking according to the terms above for up to 2 years from your original travel date, i.e. up to 1 January 2023-30 September 2023.
• The rate freeze is only applicable to the following future date ranges: 1 January 2021-30 September 2021. From 1 October 2021, the 2022 rate is applicable.
Original Travel Date – 1 October 2021-30 September 2022
• Please note that the above terms (payment and postponement) do not apply to bookings held during these dates. Our standard terms and conditions apply.
Postponement Conditions
• Please note that you have 180 days from date of “postponement confirmation” to decide on your new date of travel (e.g. if you request to postpone on 20 February 2021, you have until 20 August 2021 to confirm the new date).
• Please note that once the new date has been decided, our standard cancellation T&C apply to the booking.
• CONFIRMED & 100% PAID BOOKINGS - POSTPONED: We will NOT charge you the variation in price for the next season – as detailed above.
• CONFIRMED WITH A DEPOSIT PAID - POSTPONED: We WILL charge you the variation in price for the next season
– as detailed above. Final payment for the balance of the arrangement will be held by the agent until 60 days prior to the passenger’s departure date when 100% payment will be remitted to Rovos Rail.
• In the event you did not travel within 730 days from the original departure date – as detailed above – your deposit/credit will be forfeited.
• Due to the amount of postponements and cancellations we have received, we cannot reassign funds (or future credit) to other passengers as then we are defeating the whole point of offering the postponement. We will in essence be losing the booking we had with you.
• Please note that should this crisis continue and travel bans are still in place when the new travel date is 60 days out from departure date, we will offer to postpone this journey again.
ALL NEW BOOKINGS – SHORT & LONG JOURNEYS (FROM 2 APRIL 2020)
• The agent collects the agreed deposit and this is to be paid to Rovos Rail as per normal;
• The final balance can be held by the agent/client and paid in full 61 days before departure date for Short Journeys and 91 days before departure date for Long Journeys (excluding Dar es Salaam, Trail of Two Oceans, Copper Trail and African Trilogy);
• These passengers have the right to transfer their full deposit to a future travel date up to 61 days before departure date for Short journeys and up to 91 days before departure date for Long Journeys (excluding Dar es Salaam, Trail of Two Oceans, Copper Trail and African Trilogy);
• Once a new booking has been made, the relevant T&Cs aforementioned are applicable to that new booking.
Should you have any queries, please contact your Account Manager or Reservations Consultant. Your support is much appreciated.
Rohan Vos
Chief Executive Officer
Contact The Luxury Train Club
Please contact us with any questions about Rovos COVID-19 Policy Terms & Conditions.
