The continued all-hours news coverage of Ebola across the world, coupled with little sign that the pandemic is coming to a halt, has caused many a would-be traveler to Africa to shelve their plans.
Across Africa tourism numbers are down between 20-70%, and even the traditional safari countries (Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, and Kenya)–thousands of miles away from the Ebola epicenter–are feeling the pain. To sum it up, the economies of many developing economies in Africa are getting hit hard because of sheer ignorance.
What that means for you is that it is the perfect time to book your safari. This is an unprecedented time to see the animals in their natural habitat, without the customary throngs of jeeps surrounding every good find. Tourist numbers are down to levels that haven’t been seen in decades.
We just finished a photo and film shoot in Serengeti National park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area and were shocked to find hardly any other Land Cruisers out there with us. Yes, it was the traditional low-season (November), but it’s never been THIS low before.
But, what about Ebola?
Now, we have written about how Ebola is far, far from Tanzania before, but it is worth restating: Tanzania is further from Ebola than Southern Europe is.
The following are all factual statements:
- The amount of flights between countries in Africa–especially much of West Africa (where the four endemic Ebola countries are) and East Africa (where Ebola-free Tanzania is)–are much less prevalent than the flights from West Africa to Europe (where many West Africans expatriates live).
- There have been more recorded cases of Ebola in the U.S. (10) and Spain (3) than in Tanzania (0).¹
- There has never, ever been a case of Ebola in Tanzania. Not during the current outbreak, and never in any of the previously recorded outbreaks.²
- The Tanzanian government is about as serious as you can get about making sure Ebola stays out of the country, because if it gets in then that spells the death of the tourism industry here (about 5% of Tanzania’s GDP).
Ebola won’t last, and neither will this opportunity. Some mainstream media publications have already gotten wind of this fact, so we expect numbers to steadily grow from now until peak season starts in June.
So go ahead–book your safari now.
SOURCES
1. CDC – 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa – Case Counts, BBC – Ebola: Mapping The Outbreak
2. CDC – Ebola Outbreak History, BBC – Ebola: Mapping The Outbreak
