by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:30 PM ET, Wed May 4, 2016
On Wednesday, Travel Leaders Group released the results of a survey on the Zika virus and its impact on American travelers.
Of the Americans polled in the new study, 87.1 percent have heard of the Zika virus, with 96.1 of those respondents indicating that the Zika virus has not impacted their plans, 2.4 percent saying they changed their destinations and just 1.5 percent saying the delayed or canceled a trip.
The survey also asked Americans whether they had already visited countries with confirmed cases of Zika this year, and 21.2 percent said yes. When asked about whether they will travel to a county affected by the disease, 23.2 percent said yes, 30.9 percent said no, 29.3 said they never had any intention of visiting the areas and 16.6 percent said they didn't know.
READ MORE: What Travelers Need To Know About Zika Virus
"Clearly, many American travelers are informed about Zika, whether from the news media, the CDC or from the conversations our travel agents are having with them on a daily basis," Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko said in a statement. "According to the CDC, most people infected with Zika virus won't even know it, because they won't have symptoms. Nevertheless, we always make it a priority to inform and advocate for our clients, as their safety is always our top priority. What this consumer survey data indicates to us is that Americans are fairly well-educated on Zika and are moving forward with their travel plans."
Earlier this year, Travel Leaders Group also conducted a survey of travel agents to see how many bookings were impacted by the Zika virus. For travelers between 20-30 years old, 74.1 percent of agents said none of their clients were canceling trips.
On the other hand, 89.8 percent of travel agents for clients between 40-50 years old said none of their clients were canceling trips, and 93 percent of travel agents for clients 60 years or older said none of their clients were canceling trips.
For more information, check out the official website of Travel Leaders Group.
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