Modetour Cancels All China Trips Until February... Aftermath of Novel Coronavirus

Amid the spread of fear over the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan pneumonia,' passengers from a Shanghai-bound flight and others are seen wearing masks while moving at Incheon International Airport on the 28th. / Yeongjongdo = Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) originating in the Wuhan region of China spreads uncontrollably, Modetour, a leading domestic travel agency, has decided to fully cancel all China travel packages booked until the end of February and will not accept new reservations.

A Modetour official stated on the 28th, "Nearly 5,000 bookings for China travel packages during the Lunar New Year holiday period in January have been canceled," adding, "With the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus continuously increasing and many customers who booked China travel packages for February also inquiring about cancellations, we decided today to cancel all bookings for next month as well."

Modetour plans to refund cancellations for China travel packages requested after January 20 without any penalty fees and will not accept new reservations for February. The official also said, "We plan to cancel travel packages to neighboring regions such as Hong Kong and Macao without any fees," adding, "Since confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus are emerging worldwide, it is expected that demand for overseas travel to other countries will inevitably be affected."

According to Modetour, the average monthly number of domestic travelers using package tours to China is around 10,000 to 15,000. Hanatour has also decided to waive cancellation fees for China travel packages scheduled to depart until the end of February. Other domestic travel agencies such as Norangpungseon have also decided to cancel 100% of China travel reservations departing this week and provide refunds without fees.

An industry insider explained, "Since package tours involve separate fees for flights, accommodations, and sightseeing visits, handling these fees individually is necessary, but due to the rapidly evolving situation with confirmed cases, travel agencies, which are the point of contact with consumers, are collectively handling cancellation fees."