Ebola the Most Destructive Event in African Tourism History

Ikechi Uko

Ikechi Uko is publisher of African Travel Quarterly and convener of Akwaaba African Travel Market. Demola Ojo asked him a few questions on Ebola and its effect on the tourism industry in Africa…

Q: There have been reports in many international news outlets on the negative impact Ebola is having on Africa’s tourism industry. How badly has the industry been hit?
A: Ebola is the most destructive event ever in African Tourism history. One Bioterrorist almost crippled the Nigerian tourism landscape. It almost wiped out the hospitality sector in Nigeria, Liberia Sierra Leone and Guinea. Nothing has ever hit the industry this hard, not even the Manu river wars of Charles Taylor.

Q: Considering the fact that Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the countries really hit by the virus, why has the negative effect been continent-wide?

A: The perception globally is that Africa is one people and ignorantly seen as one nation with all the problems in the world. So travel advice went out against Africa including East Africa.

Q: Has the Nigerian tourist industry suffered that badly because of Ebola?

A: Yes Nigeria has suffered immensely not just the cost of screening and testing but with huge loss of business, massive cancellations and withdrawals. Hotels, Airlines, events like my own event Akwaaba was hit by some international cancellations. It's close to a warlike situation.

Q: Now that Nigeria is Ebola-free, are the tourists returning?

A: We know Ebola is over in Nigeria but WHO that was useless in the first months of Ebola in West Africa is still making hysterical noise about one million expected to catch Ebola in West Africa. Such reckless statements are detrimental to recovery of the industry.

Q; How do you react to the warning by the World Health Organisation that the number of Ebola cases in West Africa could surpass 1.4 million by January?

A: The Kenyan president ( called them out at the UN conference as a reckless organization. I have stopped taking them serious.

 

Culled from thisdaylive.com