Mexican travel insurance customers 'dwindling before swine f

The number of people buying travel insurance for trips to Mexico may have been falling even before the swine flu outbreak, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has claimed.

While the influenza virus originated in pigs, it can now be caught by and spread among people.

Research from GfK Ascent-MI found passenger bookings dropped from a positive growth of 12 per cent to a 83 per cent decline in the week following the outbreak of the virus.

However, WTTC president Jean-Claude Baumarten suggested other factors may also have contributed.

"This has come at a particularly tough time for Mexico as the country's tourism was already suffering before the swine flu outbreak," he said.

People heading abroad should always check with their travel insurance provider and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to ensure they will be covered.

The FCO has withdrawn its advice against all but essential travel to Mexico in light of a drop in the number of new cases of swine flu.