As swine flu takes its toll on the Mexican tourism industry, some travellers' holiday plans are being cancelled for them.
Tour operators including Air Transat, Sunquest Vacations, Nolitours and Sunwing have suspended travel from Canada to Mexico in response to the swine flu outbreak.
The Public Health Agency of Canada issued a travel advisory against all non-essential travel to Mexico on April 27, 2009.
More than one million Canadians go to Mexico each year, spending $13 Billion annually in the country.
CTV travel expert Loren Christie, speaking to Canada AM, said anyone planning to travel to Mexico should contact their tour operator immediately to find out if their provider has suspended travel to the country.
"Likely at this point it seems like the tide is turning and that most have decided, 'No, we're just not going to go at all,'" he said on Wednesday.
Many tour operators are allowing consumers to re-book to different destinations or change the date of their trip. But there may be a limit on how long a trip to Mexico can be postponed, Christie said, adding most tour operators will only allow customers to re-book as far in advance as October this year.
"A lot of them are saying we'll re-book you; we'll give you a credit to use before October, but you won't get a refund."
Air Canada and WestJet have waived rebooking fees for all Mexico flights scheduled from now until May 6 and May 8 respectively.
If consumers re-book to a higher-priced destination, Christie warned they would be left to pay the difference.
"Technically you've got to remember right now that legally there is no reason why everyone can't go forward on their trip. It's only an advisory. It's not a legal restriction."
Tour operators are not responsible to compensate clients, he said, but they realize that people want to follow the advisory and are working with consumers to help them do so.
To prepare for the future, Christie advised consumers to purchase travel insurance.
"I think the last two weeks in general is a huge reminder that you should always get travel insurance," he said.
Not every policy will cover this type of situation, he said, but consumers should contact their insurance providers to see what type of coverage is offered.
