By BRIAN HATYOKA in HARARE, ZIMBABWE
JOURNALISTS have been urged to be responsible and objective in the manner they report stories on the Ebola virus to avoid creating alarm and panic in the minds of the travelling public across the globe.
An Italian tour operator Michelina Gabrie Sanquest said there was need for journalists to be responsible and objective in the manner they reported on the Ebola disease.
Ms Sanquest said irresponsible reporting in the media could scare potential tourists and ultimately make their country lose revenue from tourism earnings.
She was speaking in Harare at The Rainbow Towers Hotel in an interview at the ongoing 2014 Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair.
The event, which is being attended by Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) and Zambian tour operators has attracted more than 200 tourism exhibitors as well as international journalists in Africa and cross the globe.
“It is sad that journalists have created a lot of fear and anxiety in the minds of the travelling public on matters of Ebola.
“In most cases, it is because of the media reporting that travellers even fear to visit countries which have no Ebola,” she said.
During a media briefing here in Harare at the ongoing Fair, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke said more than 30 international buyers had pulled out of the gathering due to Ebola fears when his country had not recorded any single Ebola case.
Mr Kaseke said hotel bookings in Zimbabwe worthy US$ 6 million had been cancelled countrywide since the disease was detected in West African countries in July, this year.
He said some international visitors to the Fair, who cancelled their bookings, were demanding their money back which adversely affected the event.
Mr Kaseke said there would be no need in future to host the event if exhibitors were shunning the event.
Among the countries which cancelled their participation, 11 were from Europe, while the others were from Asian countries like China and Malaysia.
In Africa, however, only Botswana cancelled its participation due to technical reasons that had nothing to do with Ebola.