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Cape Town - Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom has sent a clear message at a recent United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, saying "Africa is open for business" and that it is unfair to paint all destinations with the same brush.
South Africa is one of 32 members of the Executive Council of the UNWTO, the specialised UN agency for tourism, and has currently banned all travellers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, except for SA citizens with a full screening and approval process in place.
Also see: South African stuck in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone
"Geographically, many European countries were in fact much closer to the epi-centre of Ebola than southern African countries," Hanekom said.
This comes after Thomas Eric Duncan flew from Liberia in the heart of western Africa's Ebola outbreak zone to Belgium with a Brussels Airlines on 19 September - and then on to the US the following day via United Airlines.
TravelMole reports Duncan developed Ebola symptoms on September 24 and went to a hospital emergency room, but doctors didn't initially realise he was suffering with the deadly disease. He was eventually diagnosed with Ebola on 28 September and is currently in a serious condition under quarantine.
Health care experts are criticising the screening process out of high-risk West African countries, saying people who contract Ebola can get through airport screenings and onto a plane with a lie and a lot of ibuprofen. Duncan's transit through Europe has highlighted the importance of the screening process at all airports receiving passengers from the high-risk areas.
All member states as well as the UNWTO were called upon at the meeting to enhance their communication efforts regarding Ebola, with containing the problem and then ensuring that travel and tourism recovered rapidly to pre-Ebola levels being outlined as important and shared imperatives.
