Swine flu infects travel

By Christine Born

Spring break is over and the brief lift it offered the travel industry was short-lived. At the end of April, the already hard-hit industry was scrambling to respond to the early repercussions of swine flu outbreaks in several countries, including the U.S.

“Travelers, like all citizens, should heed the advice of experts when determining how best to manage health concerns,” cautioned Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association (TIA), in a statement issued April 27 that emphasized the fact that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had not discouraged people from traveling to or within this country. “We must address the situation with measured, pragmatic responses so as not to cause panic and negative consequences to the economy if health risks are not imminent.”

Airlines were scrambling to handle flight cancellations and refund requests even before the CDC issued an advisory recommending that U.S. travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. The CDC’s response followed that of the European Union, which issued a travel warning after the first case of swine flu was confirmed in Europe on Monday, urging Europeans to avoid trips to both the U.S. or Mexico. The World Health Organization declared the flu a “public health emergency of international concern” that could become a pandemic, meaning a global outbreak of a serious disease.

Early reports put the number of dead at 103 in Mexico. Dozens of people in the U.S. and Canada tested positive for swine flu, however, only two of the cases in the U.S. required hospitalization and all recovered. The CDC said it is still in the early stages of its investigations.

With the impact of this latest crisis on travel and meetings still uncertain, some businesses were fast to find an up side. A story on Forbes.com, “Virtually Flu-Free Meetings,” reported that companies providing specialized telepresence networking technology expected to benefit from the health threat, as travelers cancel in-person meetings due to health worries. “Disasters drove the video conference business,” said Polycom Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Hagerty, referring primarily to Sept. 11, 2001, and the SARS scare. In the current economic climate, virtual meetings were already replacing offsite meetings as companies and other organizations cut travel budgets.

Further updates to the CDC swine flu investigation and any related travel recommendations will be posted on CDC.gov/travel when available.

If you are planning travel to Mexico, the CDC has issued recommendations to reduce the risk of infection.

If you have specific questions about the swine influenza cases visit the CDC or call 1-800-232-4636, which is 1-800-CDC-INFO.

The U.S. Travel Association is posting updates on USTravel.org.