TOURISM

Travellers putting trips to countries unaffected by Ebola, such as South Africa and Kenya, on hold 

 

Africa’s tourism industry is feeling the affects of concerns about Ebola, with one operator noting, "it's difficult to defeat fear with logic".

Tourism is a major source of revenue for many African countries — especially Kenya and South Africa — but potential visitors appear increasingly hesitating about travelling to the continent which is home to the disease.

Even travellers well aware of the distances between the West Africa countries with Ebola cases – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and more popular tourist destinations, are exercising caution when booking a holiday.

“Things have accelerated a lot in the last few weeks,” said Chris McIntyre from UK tour company Expert Africa. “We haven't had any cancellations, but people are often putting trips on hold, and not confirming them, because of worries over Ebola. And fewer people are planning trips right now.

“Even bookings from our Africa-savvy travellers are now being affected quite considerably. We're not surprised; the news on the disease is serious.”

In Nigeria, which was today declared free of the virus, occupancy rates in five-star hotels in the commercial capital Lagos have fallen drastically. Many conferences have been postponed until further notice, according to Nigerian economist Bismarck Rewane of the Financial Derivatives Company, who spoke to the Associated Press.
Occupancy rates now generally hover around 30 per cent instead of the 65 per cent that is typical at this time of year, and the drop is even higher at bars and restaurants in the city, he said.
“I think that something which is as emotive as Ebola generates so much fear in people that it's almost impossible to 'reassure them' with logic,” said Mr McIntyre. “We might say that Southern Africa is a similar distance to West Africa as it is to London, and it's had less Ebola cases than Dallas or Madrid … but no logic helps here.
“A holiday is a very discretionary purchase. Nobody has to go on holiday to Africa, or to anywhere else in the world. Everybody has lots of choices, including staying at home.

“So right now, more people are choosing to wait and see for a bit before they consider booking a holiday - and whilst this fear may be hitting the African market first, it's clearly possible that it won't stop there.”
Hoteliers in Kenya also claim that the outbreak is hurting business. Harald Kampa, a hotelier near Mombasa, told AP that for two weeks in August he had no international arrivals at his Diani Sea Resort, leading him to suspect that Ebola had frightened away his clients. He noticed an improvement only after Kenya Airways cancelled flights to the Ebola-hit West African nations of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In South Africa there is "alarm in the market" stemming from misconceptions about how the Ebola virus can be contracted and the location of the affected countries, said the Tourism Business Council of South Africa.
Even though the World Health Organization and international trade groups say there is low risk of transmitting the virus during air travel, major airlines such as British Airways, Kenya Airways and Air France have cancelled flights to some Ebola-hit countries.
Safaris are suffering too, according to the Netherlands-based firm Safari Bookings. It reported that more than half of 500 operators it questioned a month ago claimed bookings were down by between 20 to 70 per cent.
“It is a heavy blow for the industry and the numerous wildlife reserves that rely on its revenue,” a company spokesman said.
The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea except for those involved in the direct response to the Ebola outbreak.