SAN DIEGO -- Cruise ships diverted from Mexico to San Diego because of the swine flu outbreak could generate as much as $12 million for local restaurants, retail stores, attractions and companies that service the vessels, it was reported Thursday.

At least 12 cruise ships originally scheduled to dock in Mexico will instead stop for at least a day in San Diego during the next two weeks, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

A study by the Cruise Lines International Association found that could mean a $12 million boost to San Diego's economy, the newspaper reported.

"It's going to be bustling here," Port of San Diego spokeswoman Marguerite Elicone told the Union-Tribune.

The decision to divert cruise ships from Mexico came earlier this week after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all nonessential travel to Mexico be suspended.

The recent outbreak of swine flu around the globe is most prevalent in Mexico, where about 2,500 people have developed influenza and 159 people are believed to have died from the virus.

So far, there are 91 cases of swine flu confirmed in the United States, according to the CDC. The nation's first swine-flu death -- a 23-month-old girl from Mexico -- was reported in Texas Wednesday morning. Hours later, the World Health Organization issued a statement saying an international health emergency was "imminent."

In San Diego County, there are eight confirmed cases and one probable case of swine flu. County public health officials said none of the cases were life-threatening.