by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Mon February 8, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
A recent poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos indicates that a majority of Americans surveyed would not be changing their travel plans due to the Zika virus outbreak in Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to Jeffrey Dastin of Reuters, while 41 percent of respondents to the Reuters study said they were less likely to travel to impacted areas, 48 percent said the Zika outbreak would not change the way they travel over the next 12 months.
READ MORE: Is Zika Virus Putting Airlines at Risk?
The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been connected with birth defects in newborns in Brazil, and cases have been confirmed all over Latin America and the Caribbean. Patients with illness have even been confirmed in the United States due to travel through impacted regions.
The fear associated with the Zika virus has resulted in many pregnant women canceling or rescheduling their trips, a chain reaction that many inside the travel industry think could be a hit to cold-weather getaways over the coming months, according to Reuters.
READ MORE: What You Need to Know About Zika Virus and Travel Insurance
On the other hand, Airlines and cruise ship operators are not currently reporting a drop in numbers, and analysts are downplaying the virus' impact on the travel industry.
To cater to the customers who do want to change their travel plans, airlines and cruise ship operators are also offering refunds and free rescheduling for pregnant women who already booked a trip to an area covered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning list.
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