Hi guys,

We are certainly keeping close watch on this issue and will thoroughly reevaluate the situation daily. Rest assured that our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of our clients & staff.


Here’s a message from Contiki US Operations:

quote:

We have been monitoring the outbreak of swine flu closely and with concern for the health and safety of clients and staff. After a thorough discussion and investigation of the situation we have decided to operate our May 9 Grande Mexico, Mexican Fiesta as well as the May 16 Southern Mexico featuring the Yucatan tours. Given this is a fluid and rapidly changing situation we will continue to monitor events and advise should this position change. At this point, should clients wish to cancel they will be subject to cancellation fees per the brochure. We will continue to monitor the situation daily.

We are aware of what the media is presenting and while the concern is real we want to assure you that the Government of Mexico is taking all possible measures to contain the spread of the flu by temporarily closing public venues such as museums, sporting events and schools in Mexico City. They also recommend that people take measures to protect themselves by washing their hands, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutritious food.

Thanks for your time, and please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding this matter.

Cheers,
Kate

hi
I'm wondering if other contiki programs except the programs above are also under consideration with swine flu.
in the case,
If a traveler wants to cancel any of usa contiki program because of the swine flu, can get the deposit money back?(200 dollars)

I'm planning my trip to usa in june but i'm very worried about swine flu.
I want a quick answer cause I have to rearrange my flight schedule^^*

have a nice day.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hjkwon,

Hi Hjkwon!
You seem terrified because of the swine flu..
Which USA's tour did you book? Is it the North or the South? I guees Contiki is not going to cancel the tours (especially in the North), but, if you don't want to go over there, I think you would be very lucky losing just the deposit (20 dollars? Did you pay only that for deposit? I tought it was 30% of the tour's coast!).
Anyway, Good luck!

Hi hjkwon, this would also apply to USA tours.

I'm very surprised that, given how wide-spread this illness is and how all non-essential travel is not suggested, Contiki is still operating their tours of Mexico. I was thinking about booking a mexican tour for late May but will definitly be holding off for a while. However, I commend Contiki for being completely up-front about it and laying the facts out there, most tour companys are sneaky and don't do that.

I think you need to be a bit realistic about this. Let's be frank the media loves a good story and love to exaggerate the facts. In a city of over 2 million people, 150 are suspected of dying of swine flu, suspected. Granted 150 people is a 150 too many but in comparison it is a small part of the population. In the US every year 36000 people die of the flu, every year, only one confirmed death of swine flu in the US so far. It is a horrible strain of the flu but you have to follow the same precautions you should always be following every flu season. Every flu is a killer. Wash your hands, blow your nose into tissues then throw them out, cover your mouth to cough and sneeze and look after yourself and drink plenty of fluids. You are a pretty good chance to get sick on a bus load of people from all over the world anyway, so swine flu or not you should always be practising good hygiene.

Now that the WHO have put this up to a level 5 warning (there is only one higher level), can contiki confirm if there is a change in their stance, or whether it is still the same.

Also for those saying this is scare mongering - people at the WHO and CDC are expereinced professionals who know a lot about risks etc, they would not put out these levels if not necessary.

Yes the media hype things up, but at when it comes to a question of putting your own health at risk, it is up to an individual whether or not they decide that risk is too big or too small.

Thanks

Simply because the WHO and CDC put out pandemic warning hardly means that the next black plague is sweeping across the world and 50 million people are going to die like in 1918. Yes this could spread, and most likely will continue to spread, but hardly means you're going to contract it and die like the media would luv to have you believe. It is considered a pandemic because no one has natural immunity since it is a new virus, and it has spread to several countries, the pandemic rating has nothing to do with the severity of the disease. Even if someone was to contract it, the virus is responsive to the anti-viral drugs (oseltamivir). Like Alypring Trablers said, about 150 people have died and there have been about 3000 confirmed cases, that is in a city of almost 9 million(not 2 million), with the metropolitan area around Mexico City having a population of 22 million. That is 0.0001% of the population sick.

That being said I wouldn't be going to Mexico AT THE MOMENT, because that would just be asking for a problem. I am however going to Europe(with confirmed cases in several countries now) in May and have no worries about it at all, but will be sure to use my hand sanitizer frequently as usual. There is currently a confirmed case in a city one hour from me, and I certainly don't think people should panic about this and be running around wearing little paper masks....which do virtually nothing by the way, you need hepa filters to keep things like that out.

This is coming from someone who has had a nasty viral scare before, so I should have a reason to be worried about something like this. A few years ago I had flu like symptoms and the doctors thought it might be Hantavirus (I was exposed to some mice at the lake), which has about a 40% mortality rate from your lungs filling with fluid until you drown. When the tests came back from the virology lab in Winnipeg (where they send serious deadly s**t), it was not Hantavirus, but was some virus they said they had never seen before. Luckily in about a week I was good as new.

I would not be worried about travel to the USA or Canada at the moment, but perhaps would hold off for a little while with any trips to Mexico. You'd probably be fine going to Mexico, but who needs to knock on the Devil's door like that.

quote:

Originally posted by JeffersonNYSE:
perhaps would hold off for a little while with any trips to Mexico. You'd probably be fine going to Mexico, but who needs to knock on the Devil's door like that.

very well put, LOL. I'm holding off because I already have a weak immune system from open heart surgery 10 years ago and I work with kids. Hopefully the media will stop making this out to be the end of the world and it will get under control.

Hi guys, here's an update from our US Operations team as of today:

quote:

Out of concern for the health and well-being of our clients, and in conjuntion with the advice issued by the World Health Oragnisation, Contiki has canceled all tours to Mexico departing in May 2009. Clients booked on these tours will be offered alternative travel dates to Mexico, tours to other destinations, a tour credit or a full refund for all services provided through Contiki.

If you have booked a Mexico tour departing in May, please contact Contiki reservations to discuss your alternatives.

I agree with JeffersonNYSE, that was a big typo on my part I didn't re read whaat I wrote there is a big difference between 2 and 9 million. Just for the record I am not disputing the expertise and experience of the professionals at the WHO and CDC. I'm simply saying you need to put this into perspective. Certainly don't put yourself into any danger, but take reasonable precautions, yes your health is a very personal issue and primarily your responsibility. I was certainly not recommending we all hop on a plane into Mexico, or suggesting that the warnings were hype, or 'scare mongering'. My point is the media will try to make a sensational story out of anything, it makes them a lot of money, suprise, suprise. Often the facts do get a little blurry in an effort to make the story more sensational. We need to be responsible and reasonable about things, take the warnings seriously. But keep things in perspective.

Hi there,

I'm booked on the Grande Mexico Tour departing on 6 June so really concerned about risking contracting the swine flu in a country that is the epi centre of the swine flu & which does not have the same medical facilities as Australia.

I know Contiki have at this stage only cancelled tours departing in May however is there any consideration for cancelling tours departing in June? Tour companies like GAP, Geckos & Toucan Travel who specialise in travel to South & Central America have cancelled their tours in June so I'm hoping Contiki will follow suit.

If Contiki make the decision to cancel tours in June how much notice will they give passengers? If tours still depart will the tour be limiting given all the public venue closures?

Is there any other fellow Contiki travellersout there sharing my concerns???

I will be continuing to travel after Mexico so really would prefer not risk the swine flu, border closures, flights being cancelled & being quarantined!

I have written a letter to Contiki but have not heard back as yet. I potentially stand to lose 27% of the tour cost which is sooo upsetting given that I have been saving for my 2 month trip for 2yrs.

Can Contiki help this loyal & concerned customer???

L