Travel Industry Faces Growing Concern Over Zika

Airlines, hotels and cruise operators serving Latin America and the Caribbean are facing growing concern over travel to countries potentially affected by the Zika virus after the WHO warned of its likely spread to most of the Americas.

The outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, comes as a record percentage of Americans plan a vacation in coming months and a near-record proportion of them look to travel abroad with a strong US dollar making overseas destinations more affordable.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that people should "consider postponing travel to areas w/ ongoing Zika transmission."

Canada and Chile are the only countries in the Americas the virus is not expected to reach, the WHO said.

United Airlines said it was allowing customers who had reserved tickets for travel to Zika-impacted regions to postpone their trips or obtain refunds with no penalty.

Norwegian Cruise Lines and rival Carnival said they would allow expectant mothers covered by the CDC advisories to reschedule cruises to a later date or switch to an itinerary outside the affected countries.

Many airlines and tourist authorities said they had seen minimal impact.

"There is no reason tourists can’t walk around in bikinis," Cancun tourist association president Carlos Gosselin said.

Hilton said in a statement it was working closely with local health authorities throughout the region to follow CDC prevention recommendations.

One US travel agent did say tourists with short-term travel plans to Latin America were rethinking them.

"It’s the people who are going to travel in the next few weeks who are starting to ask more questions and rethink their plans," said Jennifer Michels, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Travel Agents, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Data released from the US Conference Board as part of its monthly Consumer Confidence Index showed 54.4 percent of Americans plan leisure travel in the next six months.

Some 11.2 percent said they plan to travel overseas, down slightly from the 11.5 percent in October, but still one of the highest readings in the survey’s history dating back to 1978.