Miami’s Zika fears
Sunday, 23 Aug, 2016
0
The discovery of Zika virus in Miami Beach has prompted demands for Congress to be recalled early to approve containment measures.
Senator Harry Reid said the discovery of five confirmed cases of Zika in the world-famous beach area is the most alarming development yet and the country cannot afford to wait until the end of the seven-week recess.
US lawmakers went on summer break last month without approving the $1.9 billion Zika fighting fund requested by President Obama.
After the discovery of the cases, health officials issued a travel warning for all of Miami-Dade County to all pregnant women and their partners.
The five newly announced cases included two local Miami residents and three tourists from New York, Texas and Taiwan.
The tourism industry, which posted a record 15.5 million visitors last year, is braced for a short term downturn.
"I think it has obviously a potential impact on tourism in Miami-Dade County," said Carlos Giménez, the county mayor.
"We have got to work very aggressively to eliminate this as quickly as possible."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements