Bird flu 'not affecting tourism'

Concerns in India that a recent outbreak of avian flu could have a negative impact on tourist numbers do not appear to have materialised.

The Assocham Tourism and Civil Aviation Committees in India have announced that the outbreak has not led to any significant downturn in tourism in the region.

However, while it appears that most travellers remain unperturbed by the potential danger of the bird flu virus – which would become particularly dangerous if it mutated to be passed between humans – it is still important that visitors to countries where bird flu exists are taking necessary precautions.

The threat of avian flu currently appears to be mainly based around direct contact with infected birds and as such travellers need to make sure that they are not putting themselves in danger by visiting areas where they may come into contact with large numbers of birds.

Bird flu is spreading rapidly across the world and has recently arrived in Western Europe, with latest data showing birds with the disease in Austria, Germany and Italy.

It is therefore clear that travellers need to be on their guard wherever they are when travelling and must be careful not to come into contact with potentially infected birds.