New travelhorizons(TM) survey reveals affect of H1N1 virus on Americans' travel plans

We have vivid memories of the devastating impact of the Swine Flu on tourism to and within such popular destinations as Mexico and Argentina just a few short months ago. Airlines and attractions (both domestically and internationally) also felt the pain, as travelers were fearful of finding themselves in confined spaces conducive to the spread of the virus. So what impact is the specter of further spread of the disease likely to have on the travel industry?

The October 2009 travelhorizons(TM) survey, co-authored by Ypartnership and the U.S. Travel Association, included several questions on this subject in order to gauge the potential impact of an extensive outbreak on the travel intentions of Americans. The results suggest the impact could be significant, as revealed below:

• Fully two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the incidence of Swine Flu in the U.S. to be higher this fall and winter compared to last spring;
  
  
• Among respondents who intend to take a leisure trip during the next six months (from now through the end of April 2010), over one third would be “very/extremely likely” to alter their travel plans should their intended destination experience a widespread outbreak of the H1N1 virus; and
  
  
• When asked how they would change their travel plans, almost half (45%) said they would postpone their trip until the outbreak subsided; fully one-third stated they would visit a different destination, and three out of ten (31%) said they would cancel their trip.

These results clearly underscore the importance of having a comprehensive public information campaign/contingency plan "at the ready" to deal with the expected consequences of the spread of the virus should it appear your destination is likely to be affected. And given the speed with which the disease is known to spread, the time to do so is now.

For further information on the results of the October 2009 travelhorizons(TM) survey please visit the Publications section of .

travelhorizons(TM) is a quarterly survey of American's travel intentions viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments that is co-authored by Ypartnership and the U.S. Travel Association. The most recent iteration of this nationally representative survey of 2,644 adults was conducted October 6-13, 2009. The corresponding statistical estimates have an error interval of +/- 2.5 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.

U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $770 billion travel industry. U.S. Travel’s mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. For more information, visit .

Ypartnership is a worldwide advertising and public relations agency that specializes in serving travel, leisure and entertainment-industry clients and is co-author of the widely acclaimed National Travel MONITOR(SM) with Yankelovich, Inc. The agency has also been designated one of the Top 100 Companies for Working Families in Central Florida. For more information visit http"//www.ypartnership.com. Stay current on our research findings and client activities by following Ypartnership Public Relations on Twitter (@Ytravels) or become our fan on Facebook (http://facebook.com/YpartnershipFB).