Speaking to Pata’s agent members this week, feedback has been positive; customers are still interested in booking New Zealand and Australia holidays, and there is still plenty of interest in Bali, Thailand and the Philippines.
Travellers to the Pacific Asia region are not encouraged or advised to cancel their travel plans, as the situation is largely under control with excellent screening and preventative measures in place.
The Foreign Office is currently advising against all travel to Hubei Province, and against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China. It is also advising against all but essential travel to the cities of Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea.
However, it is not advising against travel to any other countries or territories in the Pata (Pacific Asia Travel Association) region as a result of coronavirus risks at this time, but we recommend following the any FCO advice for the relevant country you’re selling closely.
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We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and provide ongoing updates. We advise agents to take travel advice from factual, reliable and official sources such as Pata and our members.
More information can be found on our news pages to reassure customers and provide the latest inside information. Updates are also being shared through our social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
Our members, particularly tourism boards, report the situation is plateauing, with fewer new cases being reported outside of China and South Korea. Preventative measures were put in place very quickly, which has largely contained the situation within Asia, and ongoing strict screening measures and travel restrictions are working well.