NEWS
Travellers wearing masks at Beijing airport this week. Inset: Phil Nuttall
Virus triggers plea to waive travel fees
Harry Kemble and Juliet Dennis
A leading travel agent has urged cruise lines, airlines and operators to waive cancellation fees and defer requests for balance payments over the coronavirus outbreak to avoid “mass cancellations”. Travel Village Group
chief executive Phil Nuttall made the plea as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases passed 20,000 and the number of deaths reached more than 420. This week, the Foreign Office urged all 30,000 Britons to leave China. Operators such as G Adventures
and Intrepid Travel have extended cancellations for trips to China until the end of March. But Nuttall said clients booked to go after March were asking to cancel. “It is an
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unprecedented situation, so we must bend the rules,” he said. “I encourage operators to waive cancellation charges for the moment, [and allow] customer bookings to stay live [by not asking for] the full balance. We want to protect the consumer, tourism and the operators, so we do not have mass cancellations.” Customers travelling in
May and beyond are being asked to settle balances even
though itineraries could change if the Foreign Office continues to advise against all but essential travel to China. Nuttall said some customers had
been charged a fee to change their flights after cruise lines cancelled or changed itineraries. The Specialist Travel Association’s
(Aito) head of commercial, Bharat Gadhoke, agreed, saying: “Operators need cooperation from airlines and
more options for customers.” Experience Travel Group
negotiated with an airline to postpone a trip to Vietnam and avoid a cancellation fee following a client’s concerns. Managing director Sam Clark said: “If all airlines could take this approach it would be helpful.” Operators said bookings for China
had fallen but other destinations in Asia appeared to be holding up. Links Travel & Tours general
manager David Higgins said: “People are naturally more cautious about travel to Asia, but these are bucket-list destinations people still want to visit.” An InsideJapan spokesman said:
“The question around the virus and Japan does crop up more often.” Wendy Wu, founder of Wendy
Wu Tours, said the latest medical updates suggested the spread of the virus could peak around February 8 and then slow down.
6 FEBRUARY 2020 5
CRUISE SHIPS BARRED
Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess was quarantined off Japan this week, while Seabourn Ovation passengers were not allowed to disembark in Vietnam due to the coronavirus. Japanese authorities barred
Diamond Princess from docking in Yokohama for 24 hours after a recent former passenger tested positive. More than 3,600 guests and crew were screened. The 600-passenger
Seabourn Ovation had been due to call at the Philippines, where the first coronavirus fatality outside China was confirmed. Restrictions led it to switch to Vietnam, where it was also prevented from docking. Not Just Travel agent Gilly
Bachelor, who was on board, said: “We’re now heading for Thailand. We were refused because we came from Hong Kong.”
Diamond Princess
PICTURE: Reuters/Jason Lee
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