Local tourism industry weathers swine flu alert - Orlando Business Journal:

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Concern that the flu strain, knowm as H1N1, would explode in a global pandemicf is easing as only a smallo number of caseshave appeared. By Tuesday, only one was confirmecd in Orange County, a major destinationj for travelers from aroundthe “None of our membere have said anything to us about travel said Danielle Courtenay, marketing vice president for the . “At the themde parks, it’s business as Of course, everyone is urging theirr customers totake precautions.
” One meeting was canceled at the Renaissancw Orlando at SeaWorld Hotel marketing and sales director Gary Dybul wouldn’gt identify the group or its size, but said it was a companh gathering scheduled for earl y this week and would have producec about $150,000 in revenue. “Thde group said it was undetr a corporatetravel ban.” But other hotels saw no effect on individua or group business. “We had no cancellations,” said Ron McAnaugh, managee of the Marriott Orlando World Center a large convention hotelnear .
This about 5,000 people attended the Wireless EnterpriserSymposium 2009, a conference sponsored by “We saw one persobn who arrived with a surgical mask on, but that was the only sign of McAnaugh said. “When we heard about the we wentin full-preparation mode. We had supplieas left over from the last birdflu threat. But we didn’tg have to exercise any of our Though some cruise ship linesd bypassed Mexican ports of call after the outbreak was firsrt detected nearMexico City, the travep industry reported few glitches. Jeff president of Sanlando Travelin Longwood, said his agency had no cancellationse related to swine flu.
“We regularly book travelk to Mexico, but we only had one question from a customer who was returning the west coast of Mexicowho didn’yt want to return through Mexico City.” Brandonm Fehnel, a tourist who flew here from said he and his wife didn’ t let the swine flu ruin theidr nine-day vacation in Orlando. “We were here througg the worstof it.” Orlando-based AirTran airlines said it had an initia decrease in bookings after the outbreak in Mexico was first “Things are leveling off now,” said AirTran spokeswomanm Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas. “We’ve seen some but we can’t attribute it all to the flu.
The economy has to be part of AirTran fliesto Cancun, from Atlanta and Baltimore. It reduced the weekly Atlanta flights from sevej to six and reduced flights from Baltimore from nineto eight. In addition, it’e offering passengers with reservationws for travel to Mexico the righ t to change plans without the regularr charge through the end ofthe month.