Swine Flu in Mexico

In our discussion last week of the media coverage of the swine flu outbreak , someone mentioned the detrimental effect that this coverage may have on our relations with Mexico. This article talks about how Mexico is planning to recover from the bad press and economic decline resulting from the media coverage. The Mexican government plans to spend billions of dollars advertising their tourist attractions, lowered hotel rates, and travel package deals. Despite the World Health Organization's pandemic warning, a travel agent says that many people are encouraging travel to Mexico after learning the "real facts about the H1N1 virus."
It would seem that the Mexican tourist industry is trying to end the hysteria surrounding news coverage of the swine flu outbreak. By ignoring the recommendations of the World Health Organization, they are denying foreign control over their own body politic. They attempt to present a realistic and comparative view of the situation, rather than assigning arbitrary pandemic levels and definitions. However, whether or not the tourism industry is pushing this view for the sake of neutral media coverage or for financial gain remains to be seen.