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

As four confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) have been reported domestically, raising the infectious disease crisis alert from caution to warning, the check-in waiting area for Chinese national airlines at Incheon International Airport appeared quiet 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, leading domestic travel agencies such as Hanatour and Modetour have taken measures by accepting all cancellation requests for Chinese trips booked by Korean nationals until the end of February and not accepting new reservations.

A Modetour official said on the 28th, "Nearly 5,000 bookings for Chinese travel products during the Lunar New Year holiday period in January have been canceled," adding, "As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus continues to increase and inquiries for cancellations from customers who booked Chinese travel products for February are pouring in, we decided today to cancel all bookings for next month as well."

Modetour plans to refund without penalty for cancellations of Chinese travel products requested after January 20 and will not accept new reservations for February. A Modetour official stated, "We plan to cancel travel products for adjacent regions such as Hong Kong and Macao without fees as well," adding, "Since confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus are emerging worldwide, it is inevitable that demand for overseas travelers going to other countries will also be affected."

According to Modetour, the average monthly number of domestic travelers going to China using package products is around 10,000. Hanatour has decided to waive cancellation fees for Chinese travel products scheduled to depart until the end of February. A Hanatour official said, "Because there is demand for business visits to China or visits to acquaintances, it is difficult to completely suspend products to China," and added, "Considering this situation, we decided to allow cancellations without penalty for customers who request cancellations among existing bookings until February." According to Hanatour, the annual average demand for Chinese travel in February is 7,000 to 8,000 people.

Other domestic travel agencies such as Norangpungseon have decided to cancel 100% of Chinese travel reservations departing this week and refund without fees. An industry official explained, "Since package products involve separate fee processing for flights, accommodations, and tourist site visits, but the situation is developing so rapidly due to confirmed cases, travel agencies that are in direct contact with consumers are collectively handling cancellation fees."

With confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus occurring not only in China and Korea but also in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, demand for outbound travel (overseas travel by Korean nationals) through domestic travel agencies is also expected to be inevitably affected. A travel agency official said, "Although not as much as China, inquiries for cancellations have also come in for other destinations including Southeast Asia," adding, "Since the cause of virus transmission and treatment methods have not been clearly identified, there is a general reluctance to travel that involves contact with large numbers of people."