Findings from a recent study, conducted by the University of Florida’s Tourism Crisis Management Initiative, show more than 70% of potential visitors are concerned with the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Florida. Of those who expressed concern, less than 10% have changed their travel plans. Of the 10% who changed their plans, a majority postponed their travel plans (60%), while 25% went somewhere else. Interestingly, of those who changed their plans, about 15% asked a medical professional for their opinion before making a decision, Science Daily reported. The study also shows that 45% had medium to high levels of knowledge of the Zika virus as a result of coverage on social media (36 percent) and television news coverage (27%). Researchers surveyed 828 potential domestic visitors who planned to travel to Florida within the next six months. The survey was conducted over three days after 15 non-travel-related cases were discovered in Miami-Dade County. The study found that most respondents were aware that the outbreak was confined to the Miami-Dade area of Florida.
