Overseas Adventure Travel Anticipates Heightened Concerns over Ebola

BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Harriet R. Lewis, Co-Chair of Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.), the largest U.S. travel company to Africa, today announced that it has amended its cancellation policy for travelers with 2014-2015 reservations to Africa, effective immediately. Travelers booked on any of O.A.T.'s adventures to Southern and East Africa will now be able to cancel their reservation up to the day of their departure without penalty.

"We have spoken with scores of travelers in order to make a decision around our cancellation policy, and while we have received very few cancellations to date, we want to be sensitive to and respectful of our travelers who do have concerns.  O.A.T.'s  Boston leaders have been working closely with our offices in Cape Town, South Africa, Arusha, Tanzania and Marrakesh, Morocco  and communicating regularly with travel partners and guides in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and Kenya.   Based on their information, O.A.T. will continue to operate all scheduled departures," said Lewis.

O.A.T. offers adventures that operate in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Morocco.  O.A.T. does not offer any adventures in West Africa.  In addition, to the new cancellation policy, travelers will now have the option to change their reservation to any another O.A.T. adventure without penalty.   To date, fewer than 2% of travelers booked on an Africa adventure have cancelled their upcoming departures.

With more than 30 offices around the world, O.A.T.'s philosophy has long been to listen closely to its overseas ground staff and travel partners to accurately assess a situation and to solicit feedback from travelers and associates. 

To support Ebola relief efforts, O.A.T. will fund the operation of a 100 bed Ebola Center in West Africa for one month through a $29,500 donation to UNICEF.  The donation will be made through O.A.T.'s charitable arm Grand Circle Foundation.

For more information, please visit Overseas Adventure Travel or contact Priscilla O'Reilly, VP, Public Relations, at (617) 346-6841.

ABOUT OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL

Established in 1978, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is part of Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation's family of travel companies, which also include Grand Circle Cruise Line (est. 1998) and Grand Circle Travel 9est. 1958). Since 1992, the organization's charitable arm, Grand Circle Foundation, has donated or pledged more than $97M USD to more than 300 humanitarian, educational, and cultural organizations worldwide, including 100 schools, in 50 countries.

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SOURCE Overseas Adventure Travel