Fearing the worst for Swine flu and global tourism

So this is me (well, I’m holding the newspaper in one hand, and taking the pic in the other) waiting for the tube at Southwark station.

I’m a natutal worrier. No sooner had I picked this up outside the station, I was checking around me for people who looked feverish. Even a runny nose would do – and I’d walked quickly away.

I know this is celebrity-driven “the london paper” but when I took this photo, that was the exact moment I thought “Great, this is it”.

Swine flu has the potential to be the new September 11, Sars, Bird flu etc.

On top of the recession, it’s going to hit the travel industry hard.

In tourism terms, Mexico is soon to be decimated. The globe is next. Thomson has already cancelled flights (more here about Abta’s guidance on package holidays).

Like I said, I’m a worrier. I just hope I’m wrong, and panic doesn’t set in, and spread through newspapers, blogs, and the rest of the media…

By the way, once everything is back to normal (or before?), I can’t wait to see the no-frills airlines campaigns. Ryanair will be the first to incorporate a variation on the theme of flying pigs… you read it here first.