Cost of swine flu to industry new topic at conference: WTTC

At the upcoming 9th Global Travel & Tourism Summit the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) will now consider the impact of the swine flu outbreak to the travel industry and if we’re ready for a pandemic.

With the Summit session now shifted to Are we really ready to deal with a pandemic? the WTTC will consider how the public fear will impact the global travel industry when it meets in Florianópolis, Brazil next week.

“We have to take this situation very seriously despite the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) currently maintains that there is no reason to impose travel restrictions unless people are already ill,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC President & CEO.

“We have seen governments take unprecedented steps - in many cases due to uncertainties about the implications of the swine flu epidemic - that are fuelling fears about travelling in general.

“[Additionally] the public concern generated by misguided headlines in some media has inevitably affected Travel & Tourism demand,” he adds.

In Mexico alone, the government estimates that the panic around the Influenza A/H1N1 virus will effect the GDP by 0.3% to 0.5%.