Talking Points – Influenza
Copyright © 2018 – Travel Leaders Group LLC. All rights reserved.
The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients when
discussing travel during the influenza season. (February 15, 2018)
1. The 2017-2018 influenza season has been unusually severe. No restrictions are placed
upon travelers, however travel may contribute towards the spread of influenza.
2. There are basic precautions travelers can follow to limit their possible exposure to
influenza while traveling.
3. We are here to assist our clients; the safety and well-being of our clients is our top
priority.
Below you will find additional information, supporting material, and statistics supporting each
talking point.
1. The 2017-2018 influenza season has been unusually severe. No restrictions are placed
upon travelers, however travel may contribute towards the spread of influenza.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines influenza as “contagious
respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness.
Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death.”
o Influenza is often referred to as “the flu”. It should be noted that influenza is a
separate illness from “stomach flu” or Norovirus. These quickly-spreading
illnesses cause gastrointestinal distress and violent illness for a short time,
however, they are not influenza.
Influenza spreads through a variety of ways. Travel is not necessarily more dangerous
than any other activity, but may contribute to the spread due to close quarters and large
crowds.
The CDC notes that that influenza affects individuals in various ways:
o “Influenza viruses usually infect the respiratory tract (i.e., the airways of the nose,
throat and lungs).”
o “As the infection increases, the body’s immune system responds to fight the virus
infection. This results in inflammation that can trigger respiratory symptoms such
as cough and sore throat.”
o “The immune system response can also trigger fever and cause muscle or body
aches.”
o “When infected persons cough, they can spread influenza viruses in respiratory
droplets to someone next to them; persons can also become infected through
contact with infectious secretions or contaminated surfaces.”
2. There are basic precautions travelers can follow to limit their possible exposure to
influenza.
The CDC recommends a yearly influenza vaccine for anyone over 6 months of age
who has no contraindications.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that “Precautionary measures should be
taken to limit transmission. People should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue
when coughing, then throw it out and wash their hands thoroughly and regularly.”
For those flying, Travel and Leisure gives the following tips:
o “Choose a window seat over an aisle seat. Fewer people passing by means
fewer opportunities to catch germs.”
o “Pack a small bottle of nasal spray (often available at airport convenience
stores, if you forget) to stay well-lubricated.”
o “The tray table is one of the dirtiest places on the plane. Whereas the
bathroom is subject to mandatory cleanings, no one is guaranteed to be
wiping down the tray tables between services. Having a small vial of
antibacterial gel or wipes will help you kill any germs in your area before you
even come in contact.”
o “Contrary to popular belief, you should actually turn on your overhead vent.
When someone sneezes, those germs can quickly spread to those in their
immediate area. Turning on an air vent increases air circulation and can
move germs away if you’re sitting next to someone who might be sick.”
3. We are here to assist our clients; the safety and well-being of our clients is our top
priority.
We would not send our clients to a particular destination if we believe it to be unsafe.
Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may
be planning to travel there and provide detailed information on the situation so they can
make informed decisions for themselves if they still wish to travel.
We strongly encourage all of our clients, whether they are traveling domestically or
internationally, to purchase travel insurance, particularly right at the same time as travel
has been booked. Travel insurance offers an additional layer of protection for travelers
and can potentially help save a traveler hundreds or thousands of dollars if a medical or
travel emergency occurs.
We are advocates for our clients; and they know that by working with a true travel
professional, we are there for them before, during, and after their trip should they need
us – which gives them peace of mind.
By working with a trusted travel professional, we can provide providing alternative travel
arrangements should the need arise.
Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything
goes off without a hitch.
February 12, 2018
London City Airport is closed today due to an unexploded World War II-era bomb being discovered nearby.
Fortune writes:
Construction workers found the bomb in King George V Dock, which is a stone’s throw away from the end of the London City Airport runway, on the River Thames. After they reported it to the Metropolitan Police in the early hours of Sunday morning, the airport was shut. It remained closed on Monday.
The police set up a 214-meter (702-foot) exclusion zone so they could deal with the bomb without endangering the public. That meant evacuating residents and setting up road cordons.
According to the Evening Standard:
London City Airport has urged passengers due to fly on Monday not to travel to the airport. The airport is likely to remain closed all day.
London City Airport posted a statement from their CEO, Robert Sinclair, regarding the closure:
“The airport remains closed this morning following the discovery of a World War Two ordnance in King George V Dock on Sunday. All flights in and out of London City on Monday are cancelled and an exclusion zone is in place in the immediate area.
All flights in and out of London City on Monday are cancelled and an exclusion zone is in place in the immediate area. I urge any passengers due to fly today not to come to the airport and to contact their airline for further information.
I recognise this is causing inconvenience for our passengers, and in particular some of our local residents. The airport is cooperating fully with the Met Police and Royal Navy and working hard to safely remove the device and resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
February 11, 2018
A Russian plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Moscow on Sunday and is believed to have killed all 71 people on board. This is the first commercial passenger jet crash for more than a year – 2017 was the safest year on record for air travel.
According to CNN:
All 71 people aboard a Saratov Airlines plane died when the plane crashed southeast of Moscow on Sunday, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
Those on board included 65 passengers and six crew members, the Russian news agency Interfax said.
The Antonov-148 aircraft disappeared from the radar shortly after takeoff from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and crashed soon afterward, Tass reported.
The plane went down in Ramenskoye District, in the Moscow region, the Russian emergency ministry told CNN.
“The snow is very dense … the Moscow region has had some of its heaviest snowfall in decades,” CNN’s Matthew Chance reported from Moscow. “It’s not clear at this stage whether weather was factor in this crash.”
The BBC reports:
The Antonov An-148 was en route to the city of Orsk in the Ural mountains.
Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 said the aircraft was descending at the rate of 1,000m (3,300ft) per minute shortly after taking off early on Sunday afternoon.
Pieces of wreckage and bodies were found spread over a large area. One of the flight recorders has been recovered, officials say.
All 65 passengers were from Orenburg, the Russian region to which the plane was flying, a spokesman or the regional governor told Interfax news agency.
This is the first commercial passenger jet crash for more than a year – 2017 was the safest year on record for air travel.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
February 9, 2018
The Eiffel Tower has been closed since Tuesday due to the heaviest snow in three decades that has covered the French capital. Several flights from Paris airports and in Amsterdam were cancelled or delayed. Hundreds of people spent the night trapped in their vehicles in Paris.
According to The Daily Mail:
Eiffel Tower is closed because the stairs are too icy as snow and freezing rain hits northern France. Authorities are telling drivers in the Paris region to stay at home as snow and freezing rain have hit a swathe of northern France.
The company that manages France’s most-visited monument said the 19th-century Eiffel Tower will be closed all day Friday and Saturday ‘to ensure the security of visitors’.
The Evening Standard reports:
Commuters faced a fourth day of travel chaos as freezing conditions caused transport to grind to a halt following heavy snowfall on Tuesday evening.
Authorities urged motorists to stay off the roads in the Île-de-France region as more snow was expected to move in throughout Friday morning.
It is anticipated that Parisians could see between 4cm and 7 cm of further snowfall.
Meteo France said that Friday’s snow will not be as heavy as Tuesday night’s flurry, but said that due to the plummeting temperatures there was danger of ice on the roads.
On Thursday evening forecasters issued an alert across Paris warning of dangerous conditions.
Railway lines were up and running again on Friday morning with the Metro and RER reported to be working as usual.
But an announcement on the RATCP said that it would update travel services as the weather changed throughout the day.
Temperatures are expected to reach lows of -3C and highs of 4C on Friday as the cold snap wears on.
The Netherlands Times reports:
Snow fall in the Netherlands is causing problems with air traffic. Schiphol lists a number of flight cancelations, and KLM announced on Thursday that the airline is canceling 26 flights scheduled for Friday. Motorists, especially in the west of the country, are warned to be careful of icy roads during morning rush hour.
The snowfall is expected to start around 10:00 a.m. in the west of the country, and then spread out through the rest of the Netherlands during the course of the day. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow weather warning.
Between 1 and 3 centimeters of snow is expected during the afternoon, and that will cause dangerous driving conditions in the west, southwest and center of the country during evening rush hour, according to Weeronline. The eastern and north eastern parts of the Netherlands will only see snow during the evening.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
February 9, 2018
Chicago is undergoing the effects of a severe winter storm, including numerous canceled and delayed flights at O’Hare and Midway airports.
According to the Chicago Tribune:
As much as 5 inches had fallen by 7 a.m., causing dozens of crashes on area expressways and canceling more than 800 flights at O’Hare and Midway airports. School officials in Chicago and across the area, faced with an early forecast of more than a foot of snow, canceled classes for the day. Hundreds of schools are closed.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon, nine hours earlier than when it was first issued on Thursday. The weather service said 3 to 6 inches more snow was expected through the morning.
USA Today provided updates for the situation yesterday and today:
FRIDAY’S UPDATE: Airlines were canceling flights and waiving changes fees Friday as a winter storm brought heavy snow to airports in the Midwest and Great Lakes. Nationwide, more than 1,000 flights had been canceled and another 200 delayed as of 7:20 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
THURSDAY’S UPDATE: Flying on Friday? Brace for another round of winter-weather disruptions.
Airlines were already canceling flights for Friday ahead of a winter storm that’s forecast to dump up to a foot of snow across the Midwest, including in Chicago and its busy air-travel hubs. Most big carriers also were waiving rebooking fees for fliers ticketed through Chicago and at airports across the Great Lakes region.
Nationwide, about 925 flights had already been canceled, flight-tracking service FlightAware showed as of 10:15 p.m. ET on Thursday. The bulk of those came at Chicago’s two major airports: O’Hare is a hub for both American and United while Midway is one of the busiest bases for Southwest. At Detroit — a hub for Delta — about 15% of Friday’s flight schedule had been preemptively canceled.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
February 7, 2018
This morning, a Southwest Airlines plane headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica skidded off the runway at Baltimore-Washington International Airport while taxiing. No injuries were reported.
The Baltimore Sun writes:
BWI Airport spokesman Jonathan Dean said that the plane’s wheels never left the taxiway. But he confirmed the plane stopped at the edge of the pavement on Taxiway P, and that airport operations employees, fire department, Maryland Transportation Authority Police and Southwest Airlines personnel “responded to the incident scene.”
No one was injured. The cause of the plane’s skid is under investigation.
The flight already had been delayed more than an hour before the incident. The plane was evacuated, and its 143 passengers and six crew members were bussed back to the airport, according to Southwest Airlines. Skid marks on the taxiway pavement could be seen in a photo [passenger Charlie] Simmons took of the plane.
The plane was towed about 12:30 p.m., and the taxiway and section of the runway were reopened afterward, with negligible effect on airport operations, Dean said.
CNBC reported:
Skids or slides off runways and taxiways are the most common type of accident in commercial air travel, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents most of the world’s airlines. In 2016, runway and taxiway excursions accounted for about a fifth of total accidents involving commercial aircraft.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
February 6, 2018
At least two people are dead and 202 injured after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Tuesday just off the east coast of Taiwan late Tuesday, local police said. The first through third floors of the Marshal Hotel in Hualien county caved in, causing the death of one employee. Another person died in a residential building.
CNN reports:
The quake was centered in the East China Sea about 21 kilometers north-northeast of Hualien City. Light shaking was felt in the capital of Taipei, about 120 kilometers north of Hualien City, according to reports sent to the US Geological Survey.
Three buildings have collapsed, including the Marshal Hotel in Hualien City. Jeff Lin with the Hualien Police Department described the other two structures as “city department buildings.”
About 400 rescue workers scrambled to locate people, and a crane was brought in to help, footage from CNN affiliate SET TV showed. One building apparently had collapsed onto what once was the ground floor.
The injured are mainly from the Marshal Hotel, and a few of the injured were in the city buildings. One hotel employee was rescued from the basement and three others remain missing, officials said.
At least 50 Japanese tourists were among the injured, a Hualien City police dispatcher said.
Officials had no numbers for missing people.
In addition, two bridges in the area were damaged and have been closed, Lin said.
A 5.4 aftershock hit near Hualien City shortly after the larger earthquake, according to the USGS. There have been several other strong quakes in the area in the last few days.
Cellphone video from Hualien City shows a large building leaning at a dangerous angle as sirens are heard in the background. The video shows people gathering near the building and shining flashlights on windows.
According to The Weather Channel:
The temblor knocked out power to 1,900 homes in the city, The Epoch Times reports.
Some of the highways and bridges in the area have been shut down by authorities so that inspections can be performed, AP reports.
Officials shut down the Hualien Bridge and the Su-Hua Highway was temporarily closed due to a surface uplift on the roadway, Xinhua News Agency reports.
Multiple landslides that occurred along the Su-Hua Highway also contributed to its closure, according to Taiwan News.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.
Talking Points – Travel to Cape Town, South Africa
Copyright © 2018 – Travel Leaders Group LLC. All rights reserved.
The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients when
discussing travel to Cape Town. (Updated January 24, 2018)
1. Cape Town, South Africa is facing an unprecedented water crisis. Strict conservation
measures are in place to delay “Day Zero”—the day the city will officially run out of
water.
2. All travelers to Cape Town should be prepared to take part in water rationing, and
should consider how this will affect their travel plans.
3. We are here to assist our clients; the safety and well-being of our clients is our top
priority.
Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further
illustrate each talking point.
1. Cape Town, South Africa is facing an unprecedented water crisis. Strict conservation
measures are in place to delay “Day Zero”—the day the city will officially run out of
water.
Unusually dry weather over the years has depleted Cape Town’s supply of drinkable
water.
The crisis has deepened in recent weeks, and local officials have named “Day Zero” as
April 12.
o However, Business Day notes that Day Zero might come sooner: “If the
approach of Cape Town’s Day Zero continues on the trajectory it has maintained
for the past two months‚ it will arrive around March 3. That’s six weeks away‚ and
about six weeks earlier than the City of Cape Town’s latest projection of April 12.
Why the discrepancy? Because the city council keeps doing the same sum and
expecting a different result. Simply put‚ it divides the amount of water left in our
dams by the amount Cape Town is supposed to be using each day and uses the
result to count forward.
But since mayor Patricia de Lille started uttering those now well-worn phrases —
“new normal”‚ “a well-run city does not run out of water” and the rest — Cape
Town has used far more water than it is “supposed” to have. And now that the
hottest time of year has arrived‚ evaporation from dams is accelerating the
approach of taps’ death rattle.”
Residents are required to follow rules to preserve what water there is. The New York
Times notes: “As the city races to implement alternatives through recycling, boreholes
and desalination by February, residents are restricted to 87 liters (23 gallons) of water
per person per day. “We are all in this together and we can only save water while there
is still water to be saved,” Zara Nicholson, the spokeswoman for Executive Mayor
Patricia de Lille, said in an email. Residents are asked to meet that number by limiting
showers to two minutes, turning off taps while brushing teeth, avoiding flushing toilets
regularly (“If it’s yellow, let it mellow,” as one sign puts it) and using recycled water when
they do, not watering gardens or topping off swimming pools, and using hand sanitizer
instead of soap and water. But as the city struggles to hit a household consumption
target of less than 500 million liters per day, anxiety continues to build.”
The government of Cape Town has noted on their official website what will occur when
Day Zero arrives:
o “To keep essential services and vital industry running, we have calculated that at
13,5% dam storage the City will turn off almost all taps. This is Day Zero.”
o “Some key areas will be prioritised to stay connected, but these areas will be
extremely limited. The areas which will stay connected will be the majority of
densely populated informal settlements. Decisions about which areas remain
connected will be based on factors such as critical infrastructure, population
density, and risk profile for disease outbreak and fires.”
o “On Day Zero:
Residents will have to collect a predefined quantity of drinking water per
person per day from approximately 200 collection sites across the city.
The quantity will be based on the minimum requirements for people to
maintain health and hygiene. At the moment, the plan is that we will
distribute 25 litres per person per day which is in line with the World
Health Organisation recommendation
We are working on an estimation of up to 20 000 people per site per day
Based on demand, we are considering extended or 24-hour operations at
these sites
The City’s Water and Sanitation Department especially will be considering
the impact on sanitation services. An extensive public health
communication campaign will be mounted in advance to ensure that all
sanitation systems continue to function and limit the risk of disease
The City’s Water and Sanitation Department, City law enforcement
teams, and the Disaster Risk Management Section are conducting
preparedness exercises to be ready should Day Zero come
The City is consulting with the South African Police Service and the
National Defence Force to ensure the safety of residents at these sites
and maintain general law and order. Today teams are testing how a real
water collection point will work. This is one of many preparedness
exercises that the City is undertaking.”
2. All travelers to Cape Town should be prepared to take part in water rationing, and
should consider how this will affect their travel plans.
Cape Town is welcoming visitors, however, they are subject to water rationing.
In December 2017, the New York Times reported that many travelers to Cape Town
were unaware of the water crisis.
o “Despite the gravity of the situation, officials say that visitors are welcome. ‘The
City of Cape Town certainly welcomes and encourages all tourists to Cape Town
to visit our beautiful iconic city,’ Ms. Nicholson wrote. ‘Tourism is a major job
creator and one our most important sectors.’
o “About 150,000 people, or 10 percent of the city’s 1.5 million annual foreign
visitors, visit Cape Town in December, but many tourists are unaware of the
severity of the situation until they hear pilots making announcements just before
landing at Cape Town International Airport. Experts say there’s no reason for
travelers to stay away, but raising awareness and water consciousness is
essential.”
o “‘Tourists traveling to a destination, in terms of being a responsible traveler,
should always be aware of context of a destination to which they’re traveling,
whether it’s cultural sensitivity or religious sensitivity,’ said Lisa Scriven, the
director of Levelle Perspectives, which works to implement sustainable tourism
practices. ‘This is water sensitivity.’”
Cape Town Tourism has laid out what travelers can expect on their trip, in regards to
water:
o “Choose to stay in accommodation that has water-saving measures in place. Ask
about this when you book.”
o “Re–use your towels instead of asking for a new one daily.”
o “Try to flush the toilet as little as possible. Each flush uses between 6 and 14
litres, depending on the kind of toilet.”
o “Use a cup to rinse your mouth when you brush your teeth rather than letting the
taps run.”
o “Limit your showers to 2 minutes, and avoid bathing. Download these 2 Minute
Shower Songs by local bands to make keeping track of shower time fun!”
o “Report leaking taps and toilets as soon as you notice them.”
o “Avoid washing clothes until you have a full load’s worth of laundry.”
o “Take a dip in the ocean instead of swimming pools, and maybe even spare
yourself a shower.”
o “If possible, use a dishwasher to clean dishes. Just make sure you only run it
when it is full.”
o “Use this nifty calculator to make sure you’re helping to save water.”
Travelers uncomfortable with the prospect of water rationing in Cape Town may want to
consider visiting one of South Africa’s other destinations.
3. We are here to assist our clients; the safety and well-being of our clients is our top
priority.
The safety and well-being of our clients is our top priority, and we would not send our
clients to a particular destination if we believed it to be unsafe.
We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.
We closely monitor the U.S. Department of State website for travel alerts for all
destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.
Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may
be planning to travel there and provide detailed information on the situation so they can
make informed decisions for themselves if they still wish to travel.
Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything
goes off without a hitch.
By working with a true travel professional, we assist our clients by consulting on the ideal
vacation experience they are looking for and providing alternative destinations should
the need arise.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Alert – Two Carnival Cruise Line Passengers Go Overboard
In the space of 48 hours, Carnival Cruise Line has had two passengers go overboard. The incidents occurred on separate ships.
According to FOX:
The accident happened aboard Carnival Elation early Friday morning, when the woman plunged “several decks below,” according to a statement that Carnival Cruise Line spokesman Vance Gulliksen gave to the Miami Herald.
The ship was on a four-day Bahamas cruise from Jacksonville that departed on Thursday; the woman has not yet been identified.
“The ship’s medical team responded immediately, but, unfortunately, she passed away,” Gulliksen said in a statement.
The Times-Picayune reported on the second incident:
Carnival is searching for a passenger who went overboard from one of its cruise ships Sunday night (Jan. 21) in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a statement from the company. The 44-year-old woman was on the Carnival Triumph, which sails from New Orleans.
The ship was on its way to Cozumel on the second day of a five-day cruise. Carnival said search-and-rescue operations are underway and the company is providing support and assistance to the passenger’s family.
Please contact the PR Team if you have any concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.