Ebola is a scary disease. No question, it is horrible for the people of West Africa. But, this week brought the news that Kenya safari bookings are down as much as 70 percent since the outbreak has started making news.
Okay, Kenya, it’s Africa, fair enough. Except that we are talking East Africa, over 3,000 miles from the countries struggling with Ebola.
To put this in a bit of perspective, it’s actually more distance than between the West Coast and the East Coast in the United States. It is the equivalent of overseas tourists avoiding New York because of potential earthquakes in California.
Alas, this is not unusual in the travel world. I’ve had clients ask me in October 2014, if they should postpone a Christmas trip to London over Ebola. Her alternative vacation involved driving to Los Angeles, on a freeway that sees several deaths a week.
On the other hand, a healthy young woman who was a college student at San Diego State recently passed away due to meningitis, which can also be transmitted through close contact, including not just kissing, but also coughing and sneezing. People don’t seem to be freaking out over travel to San Diego.
It’s not just diseases. There has been some horrible gang violence south of the U.S. border, but Mexico is a big country. Some regions, as well as border towns — and Acapulco in particular, amongst resort towns — have seen violence. However, other cities have had almost no incidents.
In addition, many Mexican resorts are gated all-inclusive properties, where the biggest danger is probably a severe hangover. Of course, many travelers may not want to stay in a nice isolated bubble. There’s a certain amount of risk in any city, even in the suburbs.
On the San Francisco Peninsula, several people have been injured this year, some seriously, by elderly drivers hitting the gas instead of the brakes. But residents aren’t staying off the sidewalks.
While part of the fun of travel is visiting local places, there’s a difference between going out for cocktails and dinner and a serious night of drinking a long way from home or even your hotel. Personally, I’m a fan of “moderation in all things, including moderation,” but a certain amount of common sense goes a long way no matter where one travels.
The media doesn’t help. A cruise ship in trouble makes a good story. Big, scary headlines sell online advertising and, yes, newspapers.
In addition, the more “foreign” and far away a place feels, the easier it is to be nervous. Hawaii feels safer than Mexico to a lot of people, even when there are no travel warnings.
Travel agents are often asked, “Is somewhere safe?” Sure, there are destinations where poverty, war and political instability, for starters, make a visit much riskier. Admittedly, no one would probably suggest a visit to Ebola-infected countries in West Africa right now for tourism reasons. Truthfully, however, no travel agent can guarantee that anywhere is safe. Who’d have imagined there would be a shooting on the street in the lovely and quiet capital of Canada? We travel ourselves, and take our chances. Or stay home and take the same chances.
This post isn’t to make light of Ebola. Again, it’s a horrible disease. However, at this point the risk to Americans is minimal. And if travelers really want to avoid a potentially deadly disease that will kill thousands in the U.S. this year, consider getting a flu shot.
