An outbreak of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sparked a World Health Organization (WHO) Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration. But tourism professionals across Africa -- including tour operators who are dealing with widespread cancellations -- are pushing back against misleading media narratives portraying the entire continent as a high-risk zone.
"Painting the entire continent as a high-risk zone due to a localized outbreak is not only factually wrong, it is damaging to crucial tourism economies across Africa," said David Frost, CEO of Satsa, the voice of inbound tourism in South Africa. He emphasized that "Africa is not a country, but a vast continent — geographically larger than China, the United States, and Europe combined."
To put the geographical distance into perspective, the distance between the Democratic Republic of Congo and popular safari destinations in countries like South Africa, Kenya or Tanzania is comparable to the distance between New York and California. Dr. Richard Dawood, medical advisor to the African Travel & Tourism Association, confirms that "most tourists and travelers to Africa are not at risk" and that "travel to Africa for the usual tourist activities (e.g. safari, outdoor activities, beach) should be unaffected by the outbreak."
Despite this, some tour operators are reporting a wave of cancellations and inquiries fueled by misinformation and a lack of geographical awareness.
"We've fielded a number of questions from concerned travelers and have had some cancellations already from travelers who've been scared away by the inaccurate media coverage," said Onne Vegter, managing director of Wild Wings Safaris.
In the U.S., Jim Holden, president of Holden Safaris, said he has clients leaving on safari to South Africa, Botswana, and Victoria Falls who are asking if they should cancel due to the WHO declaring mpox a world emergency.
"I explained that the general view is that the WHO has declared mpox a world emergency to get the world's attention to the issue and start sending vaccines to Africa and working on improving the current smallpox vaccine," Holden said. "I also explained that Cape Town is about as far from the epicenter of mpox in the Congo as Los Angeles is to New York, with these clients living in Los Angeles. I told them there's no reason to hide under their beds at this stage!"
James Haigh, head of sales and marketing Lemala Camps, said he has had no cancellations to date, but he warns that cancellations themselves are not as significant as a slowdown in inquiries. "It is too soon to discern an impact on inquiries," he said.
Debbie Addison, a seasoned tourism professional, expressed her frustration: "I'm angry and frustrated that people are irresponsibly 'spreading' information that has not been researched fully. 'Fear-mongering' I believe is the word."
"Both the WHO and mainstream media companies need to be far more specific and responsible in cases like this, so that an entire continent is not vilified," Vegter insisted.
Industry leaders are taking the opportunity to educate travelers about the vastness and diversity of the African continent.
A continent, not a country
Don Scott, owner of the Tanda Tula safari camp in South Africa, emphasized the need to move beyond the simplistic "Africa is not a country" message: "The size and diversity of the continent needs to be better understood by travelers and the general public."
Scott recalls a similar situation from 2017: "We had guests traveling from Houston in Texas and wanted a guarantee from us that we would refund the guest if there were any reports of Ebola in South Africa. We explained to them at the time that they should be more concerned about their guest in their home city, as it was at that time that they had a confirmed Ebola case in Houston!"
Tourism businesses are calling on the industry to challenge oversimplifications and combat the "single story" narrative about Africa. Addison said she believes in truthfulness and transparency from both government and tourism stakeholders.
"Sometimes governmenst 'brush over' or attempt to squash things that are an issue, so as not to damage the tourism industry; then we are 'not trusted,'" Addison said. "We have journalists lighting fires on one side and governments burying their heads in the sand on the other pretending everything is fine when it's not. … Tour operators who make a living from tourism are stuck in the middle trying to explain the reality of the situation."
Scott added that he would like to encourage products, travel agents and tour operators to ensure their own teams are well versed in Africa's geographic diversity and are encouraged to share that knowledge with travelers.
As Lemala Camps' James Haigh puts it, "The best education is to discover and 'see for yourself.'" He points to the "resilience of African populations" and the well-managed tourist destinations that defy common misconceptions.
Tourism professionals are urging travelers to stay informed through reliable sources like the WHO and Africa CDC and to engage with local operators for accurate, destination-specific information before altering their travel plans.
Updated: This report was updated at 1:45 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 22 to include several new comments from Jim Holden of Holden Safaris, James Haigh of Lemala Camps, Debbie Addison of Wild Frontier and Don Scott of Tanda Tula.