The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has become the first to lift its ban on all but essential travel to Mexico just weeks after the swine flu outbreak began there.

The revised travel advisory follows a steady decline in the number of reported swine flu cases in Mexico since virus infections peaked on April 26. The British authority is, however, still advising citizens travelling to Mexico to take precautions to avoid exposure to the H1N1 virus.

Mexican tourism authorities are now hopeful that other countries will follow the UK's lead and restore much-needed confidence in the country's flagging tourism industry.

The Mexican tourism industry has been hardest hit by the swine flu pandemonium, with at least 25 hotels already forced to close in Cancun since the start of the outbreak.

Tourism stakeholders are desperate to regain lost ground and convince potential visitors that swine flu is no longer a major threat. As an example, several hotels on the country's Caribbean coast are offering a "flu free guarantee", which gives any tourist who catches swine flu while on holiday free holidays for three years.

Meanwhile, the panic over swine flu seems to have abated as infections in most countries, with the exception of Japan, slowed over the past week. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned travellers not to be complacent.

According to the WHO, there are now more than 11,000 confirmed cases of swine flu globally and the virus has spread to at least 40 countries. So far 80 people worldwide have died after contracting the virus. The WHO's flu alert remains at Phase 5, one stage down from Phase 6 pandemic level.

Source: TIR