90 per cent of domestic and world tours cancelled due to virus outbreak
Nagpur: The deadly coronavirus outbreak that has created havoc in China, is crippling global tour and tourism. And Nagpur is not exception. The COVID-19, as the coronavirus is called, has hit the tour and travel companies in Nagpur hard. The number of tourists travelling to China, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangkok and Europe has declined drastically. Thousands of tickets have been cancelled as coronavirus has affected 90 percent domestic and international tourism.
As per reports, around 75,000 people from Nagpur and nearby districts embark on foregn tours annually. Most of the tours are arranged from April to July. According to a tour company arranging world tours, six trips have been cancelled till July 15. The compnay was to sent around 200 tourists to various world destinations during the period. The tours have been cancelled after discussions with the tourists, the company said.
There are over 200 agents in Nagpur arranging world tours. The city hosts offices of big tour companies. All the companies have cancelled their proposed foreign tours due to coronavirus pandemic causing huge monetary losses.
First time in 33 years:
The tourism sector which provides maximum employment is in the grip of recession. The tour operators lamented that such situation is being faced for the first time in 33 years. Due to coronavirus pandemic, all countries across the globe are in alert mode. “Following detailed discussions with the tourists, we have cancelled six foreign tours till July. Most of the tour and travel companies are facing the same situation. Due to risk, no tourist is ready to undertake travel abroad. However, once to coronavirus fear is gone, tourists would embark on foreign tours, said a confident tour operator.
No refund of ticket money:
Airlines and other travel companies are offering limited flexibility to travellers worried about coronavirus, and some restrictions still in force leave travellers paying what amount to virus fees. Some airlines even changed their rules to make it harder to get refunds to those passengers who have cancelled their tickets due to coronvirus. The altered rules again show how chaotic and confusing the whole situation can be for travellers.
24 travellers from Dubai safe:
The 24 passengers who returned to Nagpur from Dubai have not been affected by coronavirus. They had gone to Dubai from March 1 till March 6 and were checked at Sharjah and Nagpur. All tested negative, said one of the tour operators adding Bhutan has barred all tourists while Qatar Airways has stopped trips to 14 countries.
