by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Wed September 28, 2016
A new report suggests that the tourism industry in Florida will likely take a hit this fall and winter due to concerns surrounding outbreaks of the Zika virus in parts of the state.
According to FoxNews.com, the report issued by travel insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance found that the number of travelers who are preparing to visit Florida this fall and winter has dropped by almost 15 percent.
The sudden drop in planned visits comes just a month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel warning for tourists heading to South Florida. While the CDC has lifted its warning for the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami-Dade County, it is still cautioning pregnant women about travel to the city and surrounding areas.
The Allianz Global Assistance report reviewed more than 900,000 travel plans for the fall-winter vacation period and found that the number of travelers who booked flights to the Miami area was down 29.11 percent and down 14.84 percent for the whole state of Florida.
Miami isn't the only region hit hard by travelers avoiding Florida due to the Zika virus, as Tampa and Palm Beach both saw a drop in visitors, down 32.79 percent and 15.51 percent, respectively.
Another poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation released earlier this month found that almost half of responders were wary of traveling to places in the United States where people had been infected by the Zika virus.
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