By now, the Coronavirus has caused cruise ships to cancel itineraries, return to port beforehand with sick passengers, hotels to close in China, and tour operators to suspend tours.
But, how are travel advisors experiencing this outbreak? What are your clients actually doing about their travel?
Travel Leaders Network conducted a research survey of about 400 travel advisors across the U.S. and Canada to assess the impact of coronavirus on leisure travel bookings.
While approximately 30 percent of travel agencies reported a high to moderate number of cancellations for China and other parts of Asia, few reported many cancellations to other destinations.
“It is important to keep this in perspective,” said John Lovell, president, Leisure Travel, Supplier Relations & Networks, Travel Leaders Group in press materials. “While it’s true that there are roughly 45,000 cases in China; there are about 440 confirmed cases outside of China and 13 in the United States. Less than one percent of the cases are outside of China. Aside from a travel advisory to avoid travel to China, there are no travel warnings regarding any other destination.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that this flu season, which started in late September, reports at least 22 million cases of the flu in the U.S. with 210,000 hospitalizations.
When asked about cancellations due to coronavirus, advisors reported very few cancellations of trips to other destinations, including Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, the Continental U.S. and other parts of the world due to coronavirus. Agencies reported that the vast majority of cancellations were for trips to China, followed by a lesser number of cancellations for trips to Asia outside of China. For example, advisors reporting no cancellations outside Asia ranged from 81 percent to 93 percent depending on the destination.
Sixty-four percent of advisors said they had zero cancellations of cruise bookings due to coronavirus worldwide. The survey found that 13 percent of advisors said they saw a high number of cruise booking cancellations with the primary impact on itineraries that include China and other parts of Asia, Lovell said. With the health and safety of passengers the highest priority, cruise lines are taking extra precautionary measures such as enhanced screening and sanitizing protocols, and denying boarding to passengers from China and Hong Kong.
Once the situation is addressed, 96 percent of advisors said they are confident their clients will rebook their cancelled trips.
“While we are getting inquiries, we are not seeing many cancellations outside of China and Asia,” continued Lovell. “This is the peak winter break travel period for sun and fun destinations like Mexico and the Caribbean. We are not seeing those destinations impacted by this. Cruise bookings in the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska are solid. People are not going to give up their vacations or stop traveling.”
Travel Leaders Group’s internal task force for major events is monitoring the outbreak of coronavirus and ensuring accurate information is shared with advisors in a timely manner. Messages with supplier updates, such as airline changes, cruise itinerary changes, insurance policy updates, as well as resources from the state department and other government agencies are distributed several times a day. The company is also hosting webinars for advisors and corporate travel customers with travel medicine experts as well as risk management experts.
“At times like these, the value of booking with a travel advisor becomes increasingly apparent. We are here to help our travelers in providing information, as well as rebooking. We don’t want travelers to give up their hard-earned vacations so if they are hesitant, we are suggesting alternatives in other parts of the world,” said Lovell.
Advisors do not make recommendations on whether it is safe to travel to a destination. Ultimately, it is the traveler who must make that decision, ideally doing so in an informed manner and considering his or her own individual risk tolerance.
Travel Leaders Network advises travelers to review all official sources of information such as the CDC and the World Health Organization. Travelers should be wary of information posted on social media from unofficial sources.
Don’t miss “Novel Coronavirues Travel Questions—What to Tell Wary Travelers.”
for more information, visit travelleaders.com
