The reaction of elderly Asian tourists to avian influenza and SARS.

Several cases of the H5N1 virus, or bird flu, have recently been discovered in Asia. In some isolated cases, the virus was found to have been transmitted from animals to human beings. However, most research suggested that the virus has low virulence in man. In 2005, the World Health Organisation urged vigilance, since as with other forms of influenza, the virus could mutate into form more easily communicable among human beings. As a result, some countries, issued travel alerts to their citizens to avoid all-but-essential travel to the affected areas. Visitors to Asian countries were told to avoid contact with and the consumption of poultry. This study investigates the impact of the avian influenza on elderly tourists in Asia, evaluating its findings in light of the earlier SARS outbreak in the region. It concludes that neither of these diseases significantly discouraged this group of tourists from undertaking their planned itineraries.