Swine flu makes travelers uneasy but not panicky

— -- Tom and Betsy Weston arrived in Mazatlán on Saturday, have seen no signs of swine flu save for a few restaurant workers with government-issued face masks, but they are debating whether they should leave Mexico early.

"We're trying to figure out the right thing to do," Tom, 59, of Pacific Palisades, Calif., said via phone Tuesday. "If the travel advisory was issued earlier, we probably wouldn't have gone."

It's too early to say whether swine flu will lead to an exodus of Mexican tourists or an epidemic of travel cancellations following U.S. recommendations that citizens avoid non-essential travel there. But as of Tuesday, panic had not set in.

"Our call center is flooded, but not with people looking to leave Mexico early," says Gina Esch, a spokeswoman for Funjet Vacations, which has more than a thousand vacationers in Mexico. "It's more people with upcoming trips who have questions."

Funjet and Apple Vacations, another big purveyor of Mexican getaways, are allowing clients booked to Mexico through May 6 to reschedule without change fees (airline or hotel penalties could apply).

Early findings from 2,857 votes in a TripAdvisor survey posted Monday showed 61% of respondents wouldn't change travel plans because of swine flu; 24% would; 15% did not have travel plans.

However, fears have prompted travel providers to make changes:

•American Airlines amr announced Tuesday it would extend a cancel-without-penalty policy for Mexican trips through May 16. Passengers can get a refund, change destinations or postpone. United uaua extended its deadline to May 15. Most other U.S. carriers had adopted a May 6 or May 8 end date, but may follow suit. Airlines reported calls from worried fliers; some rescheduled trips. But U.S. carriers kept flying to Mexico.

•Major cruise lines, including Carnival ccl— the largest operator to Mexico — have canceled upcoming calls to the country, in some cases indefinitely. A half-dozen cruise ships carrying about 11,000 passengers — mostly North Americans — didn't call at Mexican ports as scheduled Tuesday.

•United Kingdom travel provider Thomas Cook canceled departures to Cancun for the next week after a British Foreign & Commonwealth Office bulletin suggesting visitors "consider whether they should remain in Mexico at this time."

Hotel chains including Marriott mar, InterContinental ihg and Starwood hot are among those waiving fees for those due to arrive soon. Cancellations have been light and mostly requested by Mexican travelers to swine-flu center Mexico City, a Starwood statement said. Marriott International is letting guests at its Mexico hotels cancel or leave early without penalty, says spokesman John Wolf.

Spanish hotel giant Sol Meliá is offering to put up travelers at its properties in other countries. So far, guests and tour operators are changing or postponing rather than canceling, Sol Meliá said. Chain CEO Gabriel Escarrer Jaume said the economic impact of swine flu is not expected to be disastrous, because it is now "the low season in the region."

So far, international travelers won't be subject to screening before flying to the USA, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Tuesday press conference. "We'll proceed on a day-by-day basis," she said.

Travelocity spokesman Dan Toporek said the online travel provider is getting calls, and "we have proactively reached out to thousands of customers ... helping them navigate through any changes." Travelocity is temporarily waiving change fees for those going to or through Mexico.

Meanwhile, Amanda Nemec, 30, and husband, Ryan, 30, of Mesa, Ariz., returned Monday from Cancun. "No one was desperately trying to get out (of the country). No one was freaking out," she says.

Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, is seeing "no panic yet, but everyone's getting up to speed."

He has launched a constantly updated online compendium of flu news updates and useful websites (www.netvibes.com/btc#Flu). The aim is "to allow those in the industry who need to watch, because they're travel managers who need to keep business travelers and senior management apprised, or travel agents. It's virtually everything that's out there."

Says Mazatlán tourist Tom Weston: "We're concerned. But if you were to come here unaware (of headlines), it would be another day in paradise."

Contributing: Marilyn Adams, Barbara De Lollis, Chris Gray Faust, Thomas Frank, Gene Sloan