The World Travel & Tourism Council has urged the industry not to panic over the growing threat of swine flu.

But the organisation warned that a potential pandemic could be “severe and prolonged”.

The World Health Organisation last night raised its threat level to five out of six, saying that the world is at imminent risk of a swine flu pandemic as there were 156 confirmed cases confirmed in ten countries, with almost 80 suspected cases in the UK.

The WTTC is monitoring the situation as it develops and is in close contact with the WHO, which is co-ordinating the global response and assessing the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic.

“For the time being at least, although the situation is evolving rapidly, WHO advises no restriction of regular travel, nor closure of borders,” said WTTC president and CEO Jean-Claude Baumgarten.

“But it does consider it prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.”

He added: “WTTC would like to stress that the level of preparedness for such a pandemic within the industry is much better than most people realise, since mechanisms to deal with global health risks have been stepped up considerably since SARS and avian flu last tested the resilience of the travel and tourism industry.

“The present economic uncertainties have already taken a heavy toll on demand across the globe and they will continue to endanger millions of jobs in one of the largest industries in the world.

“The swine flu outbreak is compounding the ailments of the global economy just as there are signs it might be starting to stabilise, darkening the outlook for everything from tourism to world trade.

“While nobody knows what the implications of a potential pandemic would be, a study commissioned by WTTC after the outbreak of SARS from its research partner Oxford Economics suggests that the impact could be severe and prolonged.

Baumgarten said that amid the current uncertainty the WTTC’s aim is to call on governments to work in partnership with the industry to help restore confidence in travel and tourism and in the industry's efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of its customers, as well as protecting the livelihoods of travel organisations and their staff.

“The situation is admittedly one causing serious concern, and the industry must act responsibly, but there is no need for panic,” he added.

*Up-to-date information on swine flu is available on WHO's website at: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/