Media influence on travel during Zika virus and chikungunya outbreaks in the Americas

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By Julio Rodríguez Stimson

The tourism industry worldwide is vulnerable to emerging infectious disease outbreaks, which are often novel and unknown, and so the way in which information is transmitted through the media can have a significant impact on travel. Researchers at the University of Maine conducted a comprehensive content analysis examining news media coverage of the Zika virus and chikungunya outbreaks in the Americas from 2010 to 2019, focusing on their influence on travel.

Their findings supported the idea that the way disease information is communicated can potentially lead to negative impacts on the tourism industry. With future predictions of emerging disease outbreaks, the communication strategies during crises should provide travelers with accurate information about the diseases, balanced with practical suggestions on how to prevent and manage infections, aiming to encourage responsible travel behaviors rather than instilling fear and promoting travel avoidance.

An example of an article used during the content analysis @ The New York Times

How disease outbreaks are communicated can have implications for the tourism industry, public health authorities, policymakers, and communication professionals involved in managing and informing about risks during public health crises. This encompasses what information is shared, the conveyed risk level, content variety, and the methods and channels employed for dissemination. Most news media articles analyzed advised avoiding travel to tourism destinations that had experienced disease outbreaks, especially by pregnant women due to the link between Zika virus and microcephaly, whereas only a few articles addressed preventive measures.  The research found that the number of published news articles increased during both Zika and chikungunya outbreaks and decreased in subsequent years, similar to trends observed during other risk events.

   

This research is a valuable contribution to risk communication in tourism, as it is a novel study of the ways in which Zika virus and chikungunya have been communicated and their effect on the tourism industry. Strategic measures, including targeted communication efforts and economic incentives, play a crucial role in restoring a positive image of destinations following crises.   

For more information, please visit:

Rivera, Elizabeth Pellecer and De Urioste-Stone, Sandra and Rickard, Laura N. and Caprara, Andrea and Estrada, Lorena N. “Tourists and epidemics: how news media cover the risks of Zika virus and chikungunya outbreaks in the Americas” Current Issues in Tourism, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2309164