Destination Weddings Group Urges Agents to Share Zika Information

The Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA), during a webinar on Tuesday, said agents have “an affirmative legal duty “ to share Zika travel alerts with clients traveling to affected destinations. DWHSA co-founder John Hawks suggested giving clients links to travel alerts, and then storing a copy of the email as a precaution.

Both the United States and Canada have issued travel alerts. Destinations mentioned in the U.S. warning include: Barbados, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, and Cape Verde.

Representatives from both the Mexico Tourism Board and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company underscored the same message, though: Don’t be scared to send clients to the Caribbean.

“Talk to your client, let them feel secure” said Puerto Rico’s Daniel Santiago-Diaz. Because Puerto Rico is  a U.S. territory, it’s working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the World Health Organization. Puerto Rico currently has 22 suspected cases of the Zika virus.

Mexico’s Rodrigo Esponda noted that Zika cases there are in remote areas and not close to any tourist destination. “It’s no reason to cancel vacation plans,” he said.