Coronavirus: 'High risk' tourism recovery will take longer than after Sars – Pata

According to Pata, concerns about the effect of the Covid-19 infection on the travel industry “are increasing daily”, with its impact being felt by all industry stakeholders – both public and private sector.

“With cases in China still rising, many destinations and organisations across the Asia Pacific region are concerned about the financial impact on their business in 2020 and beyond, as they have relied heavily on China as a primary source market,” said Pata chief executive Dr Mario Hardy.

“The number one question on everyone’s minds is, how long before we recover? This isn’t a simple question to answer as we have not yet seen the tipping point, i.e. the time when the number of new cases reduces day by day.”

Hardy said that, based on past experience, such as the Sars outbreak, the industry began to show signs of recovery after about six months. However, Hardy believes on this occasion there is a “high risk” the recovery may take longer.

“Chinese businesses in every sector are being financially impacted in ways that are almost inconceivable,” said Hardy. “It is likely Chinese citizens may not be able to take as many overseas holidays later in the year and focus on making up for lost income.”