Between the swine flu, the earthquake and the drug cartel violence, the media frenzy around Mexico’s recent misfortunes is having a devastating effect on the country’s travel professionals.

Our tourism dollars feed hundreds of thousands of families. Not to downplay the horrors of death by disease or drug violence, but the number of victims does not compare to those affected by the sudden blow to this $13.3 billion industry.

Fact: The plain old flu killed tens of thousands of Americans this year. Fact: Car accidents kill more than 42,000 Americans each year. Fact: The United States has a higher rate of gun deaths per capita than Mexico.

A recent TripAdvisor poll found that one in four travelers will change their trip plans because of the flu scare. The travel website also reported a 50 percent drop in page views of hotels in Mexico between April 27 and April 30, compared to the previous week. Page views for Caribbean hotels went up about 30 percent in the same time period.

We encourage travelers to take reasonable precautions. But please keep your fear in check.