Ebola anxiety puts a chill on Indian travellers' hot Africa summer plans

New Delhi: As the mercury hovers in the 40 degrees Centigrade across large swathes of India, travellers seeking respite are increasingly giving parts of Africa's cooler climes a pass for fear of contracting Ebola. This summer, travel and travel-adjacent companies say it is not quite the time for all of Africa.

The caution follows the Ebola outbreak in parts of East and Central Africa, which has prompted travellers to take a closer look at destination risks, healthcare infrastructure and travel insurance before committing to holiday plans.

Among corporate travellers, MICE groups, and families planning leisure extensions around business trips, hesitation is already evident in booking behaviour, according to Rishabh Agarwal, co-founder and COO of corporate travel-tech startup Ziptrrip.

“Since the outbreak gained international attention in May, we have observed a 15-20% decline in new enquiries for East and Central Africa itineraries and an 8-12% increase in postponement or rebooking requests for affected regions,” Agarwal said. Cancellation levels remain relatively limited at 3-5%, with most travellers choosing to defer rather than cancel outright.

The impact, however, is far from uniform. According to experts, Uganda and parts of Central Africa have borne the brunt of traveller anxiety, while Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania are witnessing moderate concern because of perceived regional proximity. South Africa, Mauritius, Morocco and Egypt have remained largely resilient. The outbreak is influencing behaviour less through actual risk and more through perception, executives said.

Dev Karvat, founder and chief executive of travel protection provider Asego, said traveller sentiment began shifting after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, but behavioural changes became more visible once media coverage intensified.

“Traveller decisions are currently being shaped by a combination of health concerns, government advisories, media coverage and uncertainty around access to medical support during emergencies,” Karvat said.

Asego's data shows policy purchases rising 56% among the 0-18 age group and more than 24% among travellers aged 19-30. Travel insurance enquiries have surged, with Ziptrrip reporting a 25-30% increase in requests for travel protection and medical assistance coverage, while flexible cancellation and rebooking requests are up around 20%.

Yet several travel companies said reports of a broad-based retreat from Africa are overstated.

Hari Ganapathy, co-founder of Pickyourtrail, said the company has seen no meaningful impact on South Africa bookings despite heightened media attention around the Ebola outbreak.

“Bookings to South Africa have increased by 12-15% compared to the same period last year, while enquiries have grown by 15-18%,” Ganapathy said. Travellers, he added, increasingly understand that the outbreak is geographically contained and are making destination-specific assessments rather than avoiding the continent altogether.

A Scapia spokesperson echoed that view. Africa remains a niche but steadily growing category on the platform, with Mauritius, Seychelles, Nairobi, Zanzibar and Egypt among the most popular destinations. “We haven't seen a sharp booking shift so far after the reports,” the spokesperson said, adding that interest in island destinations such as Mauritius and Seychelles has strengthened this season.

Where travellers are making substitutions, Southeast Asia appears to be the biggest beneficiary. Travel companies estimate demand for alternative destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia and Bali is running 10-15% higher than comparable Africa-focused products this summer.