When I was in Kenya and Tanzania in September, several people I met there bemoaned the fact that tourism had fallen off so much over the past year—since the terrorist attack in the Nairobi mall in 2013. They asked me if my friends were worried about me traveling to Africa. I told them that not a single person had commented on the potential for terrorism. The only thing people seemed concerned about for me was Ebola—which was happening 3,000 miles away from where I was going. Are New Yorkers worried about whats happening in Mexico City? No. Because they are 2,000 miles apart. London is about 3,000 miles from NYC. Kenya is 3,000 miles away from West Africa. I was not at risk at all. And yet clearly Ebola is keeping people away from the entire freaking continent of Africa. Yes, I am concerned about the potential of Ebola spreading from (now dead) patient zero in Dallas. And, yes, I am worried about how bad the outbreak in West Africa may get if it is not contained soon. But avoiding Kenya because of whats going on in Liberia is like avoiding Vancouver because of whats going on in the Yucatan.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 22:59:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015