Even though the Ebola epidemic is far from the great plains of the Serengeti but it has devastated tourism industries in East Africa.
The Hotels Association of Tanzania has said business is already down 30% to 40% on last year. Advanced bookings for 2015 are even worse, 50% down on last year’s numbers.
Tanzania, which had been aiming for a record year of tourism arrivals in 2014, relies on foreigners visiting its beaches and game parks to boost its dollar supplies.
In the meantime, Kenya’s tourism industry, already hit by a spate of attacks by Islamists, including last year’s attack on the upscale Westgate mall and more recent incidents on the coast, has also been hit by the West African Ebola epidemic.
According to the World Health Organisation, the deadly virus has likely claimed more than 5,000 lives so far. The huge majority of the victims have been from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but widespread fears over the contagion have led to a raft of cancellations at tourism resorts on the other side of the continent.
The United States and Spain, meanwhile, have had cases of infection on their soil and also deaths from the disease. Madrid stands less than 4,000 km from Liberia’s capital Monrovia, a shorter distance than the game reserves of Kenya and Tanzania.
East Africa has yet to report a single case of Ebola. Additionally, a number of East African countries have forced restrictions on visitors arriving from afflicted regions.
In August Kenya Airways halted flights to Monrovia and Freetown after Kenya was declared a “high-risk” zone because Nairobi is one of Africa’s transport hubs. Some European airlines still fly to afflicted nations of West Africa.
Problems for Kenya and Tanzania have knock-on effects on nearby Uganda and Rwanda, which are also part of the East African Community.
