It’s a tough time right now in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Stock markets are down, the economy is stagnant and the swine flu seems to be in the headlines daily. Which brings me to ask this question. Has the swine flu made this financial mess even worse? We asked if the swine flu has had a negative effect on the tourism industry, and the answer is surprising.
Despite warnings against non-essential travel to Mexico from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mexican tourism industry said recently that there has not been a significant change in their tourism numbers. They claim that the biggest factor in their already struggling tourism industry was due to the negative publicity of violence associated with the drug cartel, and not the swine flu. Mexican officias admit that there was an initial ’scare’ when the public didn’t know exactly what the swine flue was and how it was transmitted, but with the ongoing media coverage that inital ’scare’ is over and people continue to travel.
Mexico isn’t the only country that may have a tourism headache on its hands. Swine flu cases have appeared world wide, potentially affecting tourism on a national level. In our research, many countries are going to ‘wait and see’ how their tourism industry is affected. November and December, which are the two biggest months for travel because of the holidays, will give us a better idea of how the swine flu has affected the tourism industry.
To help control the spread of swine flu during travel, the United States Customs and Border Protection said all of their personnel have received illness recognition training. If a traveler exhibits symptoms of the disease, Customs and Border Protection must report the suspected illness to the CDC.
The World Health Organization urged countries not to restrict international travel or close borders, as such measures would not in themselves stem the outbreak. Scientists have agreed that at this point, travel itself does not increase your risk of developing the flu. They added that people who travel should wash their hands frequently and practice the same cleanliness measures as if they were at home. Just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you don’t wash your hands.
Overall, within the United States, Canada and Mexico there has not been a huge decrease in travel and tourism due to swine flu. Again, most countries are going to monitor November and December to receive accurate tourism numbers, but if we see decreased numbers it may be due to the economy instead of the swine flu. As the general public becomes educated about the flu and understand the risks and take the steps and precautions, travel should not be avoided because of the flu.
SOURCE http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/04/27/swine.flu.travel/