Virus threatens industry hopes for recovery - PATA
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Latest forecasts from PATA for international arrivals to the Asia Pacific region show that the spread of the A(H1N1) influenza virus is posing yet another serious threat to the travel and tourism industry.
Updates produced this week from PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre indicate that Southeast Asia will this year suffer a fall of around 4% in international arrivals compared to 2008. PATA has also revised forecasts for all Asia sub-regions for 2010. The initial prediction of a growth of some 12.7% in international arrivals for Southeast Asia has been downgraded to 6.8%, compared to 2008.
There is every chance that the continuing spread of the A(H1N1) influenza virus will further undermine the confidence of travellers and prompt drastic preventative measures by national governments that will also hinder cross-border traffic.
“It is clear that we must now apply the knowledge, expertise and lessons learned from the SARS crisis of 2003 and recent outbreaks of the Avian Influenza A(H5N1). PATA is ready to work
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