Tourism: Zika Fears Growing

SLHTA: Number Of Cancellations By Visitors ‘Disturbing’

IT appears that increasing fears about the potential harm to the tourism sector in St Lucia and the rest of the region from the Zika virus are well founded.

A report this week from the United States Virgin Islands disclosed that the Zika virus was discouraging increasing numbers of Americans from travelling to the Caribbean and Latin America, with 41 percent of those aware of the disease saying they are less likely to take such a trip, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The poll was the latest sign that the virus — which is thought to be linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with brain damage and unusually small heads — could negatively impact tourism in the Caribbean.

Airlines and cruise ship operators have yet to report Zika-related drops in bookings, and analysts have downplayed the impact that pregnant women will have on the travel industry.

But awareness of the mosquito-borne virus has surged to nearly two-thirds of Americans, according to the poll of 1,595 adults in the United States conducted February 1-5, CNBC reports.

That compares with 45 percent who had heard of Zika in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from late last month.

In the latest poll, of those aware of the virus, 41 percent said they were less likely to travel to Puerto Rico, Mexico or South America in the next 12 months because of Zika. Some 48 percent said Zika had not changed the likelihood of their visiting those destinations, while others did not know.

Six out of 10 Americans aware of Zika said the virus concerned them, including 18 percent who said they were very concerned, according to the poll.

“I am actively trying to get pregnant with my husband, so I am a little bit concerned,” said Erica, a respondent who said she was bitten by a mosquito during a January trip to the US Virgin Islands, where Zika has been reported.

Erica, who asked only to be identified by her first name for personal reasons, said she no longer plans to visit Jamaica this summer to celebrate her wedding anniversary.

“We’ve definitely gone back to the drawing board on that,” she said, referring to the island, which is on the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning list.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared Zika an international public health emergency, a decision prompted by growing concern that it could cause birth defects.

The St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) this week reported a “disturbing” number of visitor cancellations linked to fears over the Zika virus.

“The reports reaching my desk are that the cancellations are out of fear by pregnant mothers or women who have intentions of becoming pregnant while on vacation in Saint Lucia,” SLHTA Executive Vice President, NooraniAzeez was quoted as telling the St Lucia Times.

Noting that Saint Lucia had so far not recorded any case of the mosquito borne disease, Azeez declared that it was unfair that this country was being grouped together with others in the region where Zika was prevalent.

He disclosed that Saint Lucia is still playing catch up in terms of numbers. “If you look at the rate of growth in tourism industry arrivals in Saint Lucia, quite frankly the other destinations are doing very well,” the SLHTA official asserted.

He said as much as hoteliers want to appreciate and celebrate the gains, the gains must be put into the context of what is happening regionally.

According to Azeez, the issue concerns not only the cancellations but the ripple effect as well.

“The financial equivalent of the cancellations when they occur, for me I find it quite disturbing,” he told the Times.

Azeez observed that Saint Lucia was the wedding and honeymoon capital and has received tremendous accolades for over a decade in this regard.

“ We need to be screaming wolf but be mindful to preserve the environment and use every safe measure to ensure we continue to stay for as long as possible without any cases of the disease,” he declared.

During the week, there was news that the University of the West Indies had launched a task force on Zika.