The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s travel alert to Mexico, issued following the H1N1 influenza outbreak, and advising against “all but essential travel” was removed on Friday 15 May. UK tour operators are now resuming operations to Mexico. Flights with Mexicana and British Airways continue as normal and both business and leisure travellers are now able to travel to Mexico. There is no confirmed recommencement date for charter flights as yet, but tour operators are working closely with their counterparts and hotels in Mexico to ensure this takes place as quickly as possible.

The travel alert was removed following a decline in the number of reported new swine influenza cases in Mexico, since its peak on 26 April 2009. Visitors to Mexico are now advised to follow local advice on precautions to avoid coming into contact with the influenza.

Oscar Fitch, Director General of the Mexico Tourism Board, said: “This is excellent news for Mexico – the tourism sector is an essential part of our economy and the recent health alert has affected the Mexican tourism industry at all levels.   As a result our recovery plan has already begun and is filtering down through our local tourism offices.  Mexico offers visitors diversity, beauty, nature, adventure, luxury, first class infrastructure and exceptional service, and the entire travel industry in Mexico is looking forward to welcoming visitors and ensuring their visit, be it for leisure or business, is unforgettable.”

Manuel Diaz Cebrian, Director of the Mexico Tourism Board, said: “We are delighted with the removal of the travel alert – signalling that once again travel insurance policies are valid for visitors to Mexico. Now the alert has been removed, we can begin the first phase of our recovery plan, which is to work with the UK travel industry to minimise the effects of the influenza outbreak on their travel programmes to Mexico and similarly the Mexico tourism industry.  We need to rebuild confidence in Mexico as a holiday destination and show people in the UK that Mexico is a safe place to travel.”