KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) – Ebola is thousands of miles away from Kenya’s pristine Indian Ocean beaches, but the deadly disease appears to be discouraging tourism there and elsewhere in this vast continent.
Tour operators across Africa say they face difficulties as the Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,400 people in four countries, continues to defy international efforts to control it. Tourism, a major source of revenue for many African countries – especially Kenya and South Africa – is increasingly being hurt as some potential visitors hesitate over visiting the continent which is home to the disease.
In Nigeria, where there have been very few Ebola cases, occupancy rates in five-star hotels in the commercial capital Lagos have fallen drastically, with many conferences postponed until further notice.