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DialAFlight Announce Bookings Upsurge After Swine Scare

Dépèche transmise le 15 mai 2009 par PRNewswire

LONDON, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Tourist figures are returning to normal following the swine flu outbreak in Mexico, according to major carrier DialAFlight. Despite continued warnings from the press, governments and the World Health Organisation, travellers have not been deterred from booking holidays to 'at-risk' areas of the globe.

UK travel firm DialAFlight - which carries half a million customers each year - reports that flights to both Mexico City and Cancun are close to normal seasonal booking levels, after the brief downturn last month.

Whilst visitor numbers to Mexico dropped off for a fortnight or so at the height of the scare, bookings are beginning to get back to full health, and other international destinations barely registered the "crisis". DialAFlight have attributed this consumer confidence to a combination of World Health Organisation warnings being restricted to limiting the spread of the H1N1 virus, rather than limiting commercial flight, and tourist-related costs dropping by as much as 40% in affected areas.

In the US and Canada, fears of a global pandemic are restricted to health officials. Following a second American death from the virus, the government were even poised to recommend school closures to protect the public, though they later retreated from this position. President Barack Obama said the threat of spreading infections is cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm."

With the first cases in Europe now confirmed, it remains to be seen what the impact will be on the continent's tourism industry. But public confidence is unshaken, as DialAFlight customers return in droves.

A DialAFlight spokesman said, 'Our customers appear to have decided that the end of the human race is not quite as close as the World Health Organisation would have us believe. Or they've decided to go and have some fun before civilisation comes to an end.'

'Most are pretty well educated and they are saying that if only 100 or so people have died from swine flu in Mexico City which has 22 million people, then those are actually pretty good odds. Especially as flu kills 25,000 people worldwide each winter.'

About DialAFlight

DialAFlight is one of the UK's top travel companies offering cheap flights, hotels, car hire, city breaks holidays, including flights to Canada , flights to the USA and Business Travel to help you to create the perfect all-inclusive trip to any worldwide destination. Because we've been in business for more than 25 years, we're able to secure the best travel industry rates available. We pride ourselves on our experienced sales staff who are all well-travelled and committed to creating your perfect trip - at bargain prices.

Contact info: Karen Hart - Tel: +44-(0)2079629966

CONTACT: Contact info: Karen Hart - Tel: +44-(0)2079629966