Where would Australian travellers seek information about bird flu? Results of two airport intercept surveys

A potential bird flu pandemic has been the recent focus of the world’s attention. Successful control efforts will require using sources of information that both residents and visitors within a country will actively seek information from; this is critical to prevent panic and to elicit the desired public responses. This paper reports the combined results of two airport intercept surveys which illustrate the Australian traveller’s preferred and likely sources of information about bird flu in the event of a bird flu pandemic. Our results indicate that Australian travellers would be most likely to seek information from the internet and their doctors/GPs within the country of destination. These findings have vital implications for choosing effective channels to disseminate information about bird flu to Australian travellers.