The Malaysian Insight

TOURISM players are concerned over Putrajaya’s decision to ban cruise ships from China, saying the move could generate more fear among travellers, which will in turn hurt the tourism industry.

Travel agent Jackson Thian told The Malaysian Insight that banning cruise ships will impact on hotels, restaurants and travel agencies.

“A flight can only bring in a few hundred people at once but a cruise ship can accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 people.

“It brings a huge number of tourists and considerable income to the tourism industry,” he said.

Almost all of the cruise packages around Asia that his company handles have been cancelled because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Cancellations were sparked by the news of the Diamond Princess luxury cruise liner, which has been quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, since February 4, after a passenger tested positive with the virus.

Nearly 2,700 passengers from more than 50 countries were quarantined in their compartments on board the luxury cruise liner.

More than 400 passengers, including two Malaysians, have since tested positive for Covid-19.

The flow of news reports about the virus and its impact on travellers has heightened concerns among tourists and is affecting plans for travel, said Asia Cathay Travel managing director Cooper Huang.

“It is being reported in the news every day and it affects tourists’ sentiments. Many have rescheduled their travel or asked for refunds.”

More news, such as Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s announcement three days ago of a temporary ban on all international cruise ships departing from or transiting in Chinese ports, could add to tourists’ concerns.

Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Albert Tan estimated that the Covid-19 outbreak had already caused a 50% drop in tourist arrivals, specially by cruise ships.

However, this is not due to Wan Azizah’s announcement, made recently, but because the cruise business overall had already been impacted by the outbreak.

Tan said Covid-19 was bringing back memories of how badly the SARS outbreak affected tourism in 2003.

“The SARS outbreak was a real setback for the tourism industry. Today, with the new virus, some smaller travel agencies are forcing employees to take unpaid leave to help weather the crisis,” he said.

Tan said the only solution now is to wait for the epidemic to abate and for tourists to regain confidence in travelling.

Malaysia-China Tourism Promotion Association chairman Dr Angie Ng said the sudden ban, even if only temporary, is a great loss for the industry as cruises have the potential to bring in tourists in huge numbers.

However, she agreed that concerns about people’s health and curbing the virus from spreading should still be the number one priority.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will announce a fiscal stimulus package to mitigate the effects of the epidemic on February 27.

Economists have proposed that the package include a waiver of tourism taxes among others.

The Covid-19 outbreak has so far killed more than 2,000 people and infected 73,000 in more than 25 countries.

Malaysia has so far registered 22 cases of Covid-19, of which 13 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital. – February 19, 2020.