At stake is the $1.7-trillion in revenue that international tourism generated in 2018, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation
Moroccan health workers scan passengers arriving from Italy for coronavirus Covid-19 at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport on March 3 2020. Picture: AFP/FADEL SENNA
As an illness that broke out in China goes global, the tourism business faces a growing threat. Many of the Chinese travellers who have driven the industry’s expansion were already staying home, after the government locked down tens of millions of people and banned sales of package tours. That emptied lodgings in the casino hotspot of Macau, cleared beaches across Southeast Asia and eliminated lines outside Louis Vuitton boutiques in Paris.
“We aren’t capable of saying how long the situation will last,” said Ana de Pro, CFO of Amadeus IT Group, which provides online booking software for the travel industry. Package holiday giant TUI announced a hiring freeze, saying it could not yet estimate the financial fallout from the outbreak. For local economies dependent on tourism, the full impact will be broader, as travellers weigh risk and benefit for the busy summer season. Each lost booking is not only a blow to hotels and airlines but also to the myriad other businesses — from Parisian luxury boutiques to Asian street-food stands — that rely on travellers.
The outbreak has hit particularly hard in Italy, where travel and tourism generate 13% of economic activity, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Usually at this time of year, skiers from across Europe head for Cortina d’Ampezzo, Val Gardena or Cervinia, some staying overnight in Milan or Venice on the way.
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