One thing I'm not is a hypochondriac. Believing I'm impervious to disease might be a bad thing, but I will not pass up a good deal because of a world-wide freak-out. The freak-out I'm talking about is the swine flu. Yes, it's scary and it's spreading, but 36,000 people die from flu-related symptoms every year in the U.S.; 61 have died from swine flu in the entire world (56 in Mexico). The CDC says you have a better shot of being hit by lightning, than dying of swine flu.
But something else that has fallen ill quickly is Mexico's tourism. And the treatment is hard to prescribe. The Mexico Board of Tourism says the outbreak will cost the country $4 billion in revenue out of a $13 billion a year industry. To fight back, the tourism board is encouraging its own residents to visit the beaches, as it doesn't believe gringos will put their Purell-lathered bodies anywhere near the plush resorts anytime soon. Even though the resorts have remained swine-flu free throughout the outbreak.
Now is a great time to purchase future travel packages to Mexico. Ok, ok, maybe it's not wise to go next week, but you can grab deals for when the swine flu is replaced with another media obsession.
Before the outbreak, flights in August from Chicago to Cancun were priced at $346. Now you can find one for $253. Here are some vacation packages from Expedia.
Cheap, right? And if you have a Mexican vacation planned within the next month, the airlines will change your ticketing with no penalty. So you can land a great hotel deal with your new plans.
But if you want to travel between August and November, perhaps choose the west coast of Mexico. Otherwise you might get stuck due to another media obsession: hurricanes.
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