ST. LOUIS – As if the travel industry haven’t already taken a beating in the Great Recession, along came a flu virus that effected travel plans and destinations because of its spread. H1N1, formerly known as the swine flu, took a toll on 2009.

Here the overview from SceneAdvisor.com and Philly.com on the 2009 story of H1N1...

Over the last year, swine flu has been the front-page story that just won’t die. After an early initial scare, H1N1 faded into the back-burners of the minds of many for several months, before returning in full force as flu season approached

Current Travel Setbacks

Reported by Rachel Syme on Scene Advisor.com...

- The U.S. government has now urged Americans to cancel travel to Mexico if not essential, began setting up border checks and said a travel advisory would stay in effect as long as flu was detected.

- The European Union's top health official cautioned people not to travel to areas where the flu has hit. Other nations began taking precautions, such as checking passengers for signs of fever. But the Mexico warning could potentially devastate an already struggling tourism industry in the country.

- Mexico is the epicenter for the swine influenza virus outbreak. More than 100 deaths in Mexico are being investigated as possibly tied to the outbreak. The WHO confirmed 73 cases of swine flu Monday, but health officials in Scotland, California and Texas confirmed nine more, bringing the worldwide total to 82.

Disney Cruise Lines, which does not sail into Mexico, said it is closely monitoring the situation, as did officials for theme parks including Universal and Sea World in Orlando, Florida. Airports in Singapore, Tokyo and Sofia, Bulgaria, are among those more actively checking, down to using devices to take temperatures.

- In Russia, air crews are on the lookout for passengers flying from North America with flu symptoms. Passengers may be examined by medics. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine those showing signs of swine flu. Later this week, the European Union will meet to suggest proposals that member countries can take to counter the spread of the flu, which causes fever, aches, pains and nasal congestion.

The Business Traveler

Philly.com by Tom Belden...

There has not been much lately about how business travel may have been affected by the spread of the H!N1 flu virus (aka swine flu). One explanation for that may be in the results of a survey conducted by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives of 109 international companies taken earlier this month. It was released at the group's global conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

In a statement issued today, the vast majority of the companies aren't canceling meetings or business trips because of it. Although companies have serious concerns about the potential spread of the disease, but they have yet to alter travel plans for the rest of 2009 or 2010.

H1N1 will continue to make news, as long as the flu season goes on.