Cape Town - South Africa is among major travel destinations that safari tour companies are waiving cancellation fees for, in the hope there will be no further spread of Ebola.
Wouter Vergeer, of SafariBookings, said the move was an attempt by companies to reassure travellers that there was no need to be afraid of contracting the disease while on safari.
“There is a lot of fear of Ebola among travellers, so they (safari companies) decided to ease their cancellation policies to give confidence back to travellers.”
He said the move aimed to stimulate tourism which has taken a dive. A September report showed that half of 500 safari companies surveyed are coping with a20 to 70 percent decline in bookings. The safari companies responded to paranoia by easing their cancellation policies.
SafariBookings said the specific conditions of each policy differed, but their broader context was largely the same. The amended cancellation policy will be enacted if:
* The World Health Organisation declares an Ebola outbreak in the safari country and for the period a client would visit.
* The US or one of the larger European countries issues a level 3 travel warning against all but essential travel.
“All cancellation fees will be waived if the amended policy is enacted, with most companies offering a full refund.
”The Ebola risk in eastern and southern Africa, where the major safari countries are located, is just as low as elsewhere in the world. These countries are at least 4 800km away from the outbreak area,” the statement said.
It added all safari countries have strict precautionary measures and that the virus is not airborne, spreading only if people come in contact with bodily fluids – such as blood, sweat or saliva – of an infected person. “But outside of the outbreak area, the real risk for travellers is effectively zero.”
National Health Department spokesman Joe Maila said there was “no Ebola in South Africa”.
“We have a strict travel advisory available for everyone that enters the country to ensure Ebola isn’t coming into the country,” he said.
Western Cape provincial health spokeswoman Marika Champion said:
“The province is in a constant state of preparedness for Ebola. The plan includes close co-operation between Disaster Management, the Department of Health, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Acsa and ports authorities to monitor all points of entry.”
A list of safari companies with amended cancellation policies can be found on Safaribookings.com
Cape Times