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SARS deals fresh blow to travel
HONG KONG, China -- Asia's travel industry -- already staggering from the onset of war in Iraq -- is now reeling from a second, potentially, more devastating blow: SARS. Corporations are banning business trips, tourists are postponing vacations, airlines are cutting flights, airports are quarantining passengers and governments are issuing travel warnings as the death toll from the mystery illness mounts. The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome -- which has so far affected almost 1,900 people in at least 15 countries, with at least 63 fatalities -- on an already beleaguered travel industry is dramatic. The latest airline to cut back its operations is Singapore Airlines. In a statement issued Wednesday, Singapore said it was cutting its number of flights to Hong Kong -- the worst affected region for SARS -- to 26 per week, down from 41. The airline also suspended all services to Kaohsiung, Taiwan from April 15, and to Hiroshima, Japan from April 9 to May 31. Overall, Singapore is reducing its capacity by 13 percent in response to SARS and the Iraq war. A survey of U.S. companies released Wednesday shows nearly 30 percent of corporations whose employees make frequent trips to Asia have banned travel there. A survey of 180 organizations and major companies -- that combined accounted for 66,960 annual roundtrips to Asian countries -- found that 49, or 27 percent, were banning travel to Asian countries, according to the Business Travel Coalition. Forty-three, or 24 percent of participants, said they were taking no action. But 8 percent were considering a ban on travel to Asian countries and 41 percent were providing advisories and guidance. In other SARS-related developments affecting the travel industry: • India has ordered all airports to screen passengers coming from countries hit by the disease, the Press Trust of India news agency reports. • Taiwan has temporarily banned shipping traffic between the Chinese mainland and the Matsu Islands 9 kilometers off China's southern coast because the islands' clinics wouldn't be able to cope with a major outbreak, the government said. • The Australian government issued a travel warning advising its citizens on Wednesday not to travel to Canada and Asian countries hit by the flu-like virus, and to wear face masks while travelling. It advised Australians to defer all non-essential travel to China, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and also Canada. • All flights arriving into Australia from Asian destinations must now be cleared by quarantine authorities before passengers can disembark. • Thailand has invoked an emergency regulation to give health officials the authority to quarantine people for up to two weeks arriving travelers suspected of having the illness. • The World Economic Forum has postponed a meeting of economic and government leaders in Beijing, China until later this year, Associated Press reports. • Air Mauritius has suspended its flights to Hong Kong for a month because of poor ticket sales following the outbreak. • The Belgian government has advised its citizens against travel to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and southern China. • Dutch airline KLM says it will cut thousands of jobs and reduce capacity, because of falling business, partly due to the mystery illness. The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
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