Story from Hotel Marketing
Word on the swine flu’s potential dangers has spread faster than the H1N1 virus so far, and travel agents, hotels and travel providers say they’re getting calls about the swine flu.At online travel agency Travelocity, spokespeople report that customer calls have been “relatively low,” which indicates that people aren’t panicking and trying to cancel. Still, Travelocity has sent a swine flu alert to customers booked for Mexico Cruises, and it’s temporarily waiving change fees for travel to or through Mexico in coming weeks.
“I book a lot of high-end clients to Mexico, and had three call me yesterday to change their travel plans,” says a spokesperson from a California based travel agency. When drug violence in Mexico made headlines recently, that wasn’t a big issue with clients, but, “The swine flu has everyone freaked out.” travel experts are encouraging travelers to protect themselves by wearing a swine flu mask when in flight, at any major airport or in crowded public spaces.
