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TRAVEL HEALTH WATCH
American
Airlines
Twitter was
buzzing Thursday morning with news that several
airlines are flying doctors and nurses to Haiti
free of charge to help with relief efforts there in
the wake of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. The
only problem: The rumors are false, an American
Airlines spokesman says. "Last night's hoax on
Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors
and nurses to Haiti for free was just that -- a
hoax. We don't know who is responsible, but it's a
very low thing to do," airline spokesman Tim Smith
said in e-mails sent Thursday. Twitter users also
circulated a rumor that UPS would ship for free any
package under 50 lbs. to Haiti. In a blog post
Wednesday on UPS's Web site, a spokeswoman debunked
the rumor and said that destruction of Haiti's
roads and communications networks "means our own
shipping services to Haiti are on hold." UPS is
donating USD1 million to help the people of Haiti
through relief agencies, she said. Jan 14,
2010
Australia
Since the
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic
in 2003, tourist arrivals in Australia have grown
steadily. However, the report estimates that
arrival numbers dropped by 2 percent year-on-year
(y-o-y) in 2009 to 5.33mn. The industry was hit by
dwindling price competitiveness from its major
source destinations, which include the UK and New
Zealand, as the Australian dollar strengthened.
Discretionary spending is being reined in by many
potential tourists and business travellers. In
2009, heavy fare discounting by airlines helped the
tourism market as it encouraged many to take
advantage of the low fares on offer. As global oil
prices trend upwards, however, putting pressure on
airlines' profitability, we expect fare discounts
to peter out to offset the rising costs of fuel in
2010. That said, competition between low-cost
carriers in Australia and the Asia Pacific region
will keep fares relatively low. We do not expect
the H1N1 virus (swine flu) to have a major impact
on tourism numbers in Australia as concerns about
the virus have been subdued by its moderate
symptoms and relatively low mortality rate. For
2010, the report forecasts arrival numbers to begin
to tick upwards again, reaching 5.46mn, reaching
6.30mn at the end of our forecast period in 2014.
Jan 14, 2010
United
Airlines
Among the
several initiatives United Airlines has in place to
support the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, the
airlines' foundation is matching up to a total of
USUSD50,000 to the American Red Cross for monetary
donations that United customers and employees are
making to the organization through its
International Response Fund at united.com. In
addition, Mileage Plus® members and employees
are donating miles to the airline's nonprofit
relief partners as part of its Charity Miles
program. United is also working with relief
agencies to determine how we can best support air
lift humanitarian efforts, including transporting
aid workers, food, and water. Jan 14,
2010
Gluten Free
Travel launched a website focused on helping people
with Celiac and others following gluten-free
diets &endash; locate hotels, resorts, and
restaurants around the world that accommodate their
special diets. As more people get diagnosed with
Celiac Disease every day and awareness grows, an
increasing number of hotels, resorts, and
restaurants are realizing this is a niche market
they can't ignore. As a result, they are developing
special programs and menus to cater to this growing
market. For more information, visit
www.glutenfreetravelsite.com
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