The dnata brands confirmed to TTG they were working with industry partners to bring home “a small number” of clients in China, where authorities have tightened restrictions on travel to contain the spread of the virus, hampering efforts to repatriate Britons.
Lisa McAuley, managing director Gold Medal Travel 2, said imminent departures had been cancelled, and all agents with package passengers due to travel in the next 14 days have been contacted.
"We continue to work alongside industry partners to support agents with customers impacted," said McAuley.
"This includes contacting suppliers to help coordinate alternative travel arrangements, refunds and cancellations. We have supported passengers in resort and have worked with our agent partners to ensure all passengers in or due to travel to the country have been contacted.
“Regular updates are being posted across our social feeds and we have a dedicated crisis phone number. We are encouraging any agents who require further information or support to contact us.”
First UK cases
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday (30 January) formally declared coronavirus a global health emergency.
The move has spurred several travel companies into more concerted precautionary action on coronavirus, including Virgin Atlantic and MSC Cruises.
It comes after coronavirus was confirmed to have spread to every Chinese region and nearly 20 countries, claiming more than 200 lives.
The first cases in the UK were confirmed by the Department of Health on Friday (31 January) after two members of the same family tested positive for the virus.
A flight chartered to bring dozens of British nationals back from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus is thought to have originated, took off late on Thursday night (local time) and was due to arrive at RAF Brize Norton on Friday afternoon. Passengers will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral where they will be quarantined for two weeks
At Civitavecchia port in Italy, 6,000 Costa Cruises guests were on Thursday held onboard Costa Smerelda when a passenger developed coronavirus symptoms after arriving from Hong Kong. They were later found to have "common flu" whereby passengers were allowed to disembark.
British Airways suspended all bookings for its Shanghai and Beijing flights until the end of the month on Wednesday, while Virgin Atlantic on Thursday night confirmed its Heathrow-Shanghai service would be suspended for two weeks following the WHO’s ruling.
Air France has suspended all scheduled flights to and from mainland China until 9 February. The carrier will, starting Friday, operate special flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing staffed by volunteer crews to bring customers and employees home safely. Its flights to Wuhan have been suspended since 22 January and will remain suspended until further notice.
The travel sector was forced into concerted action on coronavirus on Tuesday when the Foreign Office (FCO) advised against all but essential travel to China, requiring operators and cruise lines – many of whom were already taking their own measures – to postpone or cancel imminent departures.
China specialist Wendy Wu Tours told TTG the operator currently had no clients in China, as it offered fewer departures over the busy Chinese new year period. A handful of February departures have been rearranged.
On The Go Tours has cancelled all its China trips through 25 March, adding its team, tour guides and their families in China were "safe and well" and looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible. The company added their foremost concern was the effect on Chinese tourism, and has urged fellow operators not to "blanket cancel" tours for the entire year.
Several other operators have made short-term cancellations. G Adventures has pulled mainland China departures until the end of the month, as has Intrepid Travel, while Explore has cancelled all its China tours up to 30 April. Exodus Travels is currently not accepting new China bookings this year.
Passenger screening
Cruise lines have also taken steps. MSC Cruises has moved MSC Splendida out of Shanghai to Singapore. It will now begin its 27-night Grand Voyage to the Middle East and Europe on 14 February. Ex-Shanghai cruises scheduled for 1, 5 and 9 February have been cancelled.
The line has also implemented stringent precautionary measures ahead of and onboard all sailings worldwide to guard against coronavirus. These include screening passengers before embarkation for any signs of illness, and barring anyone from boarding if they’ve travelled from, or visited, mainland China in the past 30 days.
Royal Caribbean International has “suspended” Spectrum of the Seas sailings from Shanghai until 8 February and temporarily postponed shipboard returns for its China-based crew.
