All cruiselines have now confirmed they will be staying away from Mexico as a result of the the deadly swine flu. Itineraries are being assessed on a daily bases in response to news about the virus.
While no one has actually banned travel to Mexico, it had to happen. Can you imagine the furore if a passenger contracted the virus and died after official advice from both the US and UK was against all but non-essential travel to the country?
And how many passengers would have wanted to go to a place where locals are wandering around in face masks and from which holidaymakers have been evacuated?
The cruiselines have had to work fast to change their itineraries, but in a round-about kind of way the swine flu might turn out to be good news for them.
Many are simply turning the Mexico port day into an extra day at sea. That means passengers are trapped on board and spending, which is not to be sneezed at (no pun intended) in these recessionary times.
But we should also spare a thought for the Mexicans who live and work around the ports. With no cruise passengers spending their dollars in the shops or in the taxis, no cruise passengers to go on excursions, their livelihoods have been shattered overnight.
And these people also have to live with the harsh fact that the only people who have died from the virus are Mexicans.
Jane Archer
