'Business as usual': Singapore tourism persists amid coronavirus outbreak

Singapore is among the countries that have been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as the country's Health Ministry announced on Monday that there were 77 confirmed cases of the virus and 24 people had been discharged from the hospital.

The outbreak has also affected the country’s tourism. The Singapore Tourism Board reported that 19.1 million tourists visited the country in 2019, a 3.3 percent increase from 2018. However, the number is forecast to drop about 25 to 30 percent this year.

“Every day, Singapore loses 20,000 tourists from all entrances [following the virus outbreak],” said John Gregory Conceicao, Southeast Asia executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board, during the Year-in-Review 2019 and Media & Trade Gathering event on Tuesday in South Jakarta.

China, where the outbreak first emerged, contributed to 20 percent of the country's international tourist arrivals. Indonesia ranked second after China with 3.11 million tourists traveling to Singapore last year.

Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam, Indonesia area director of the Singapore Tourism Board, said at the same event that Singapore currently applied travel restrictions for tourists from China, including on direct flights to and from China. “It’s among the measures to contain the situation in Singapore,” Firhan said.

Despite the outbreak, Firhan said Singapore still continued with “business as usual”. He explained that thermal scanning had been performed in all entrances to Singapore and surgical masks were provided for the public, especially for those who are sick.

The country also has implemented contact tracing, meaning that those who have interacted with a coronavirus-infected person will be traced for further check-ups.

“We suggest travelers practice personal hygiene: wash your hands, wear masks if you’re sick and go to the doctor if you feel any symptom of fever and coughing,” Firhan said, adding that all tourist destinations in Singapore were still open to the public.

In fact, the country has new tourist attractions, including a new tower at the Marina Bay Sands, a rejuvenated Orchard Road and Jurong Lake District and the newly opened Magical Shores at Siloso in Sentosa Island that offers interactive beach light art.

In regard to the country's recovery, Conceicao said it would take longer than the recovery period from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, which took around five months.

“Maybe it will take five to six months. We’ll see whether we can recover by then,” he said, adding that the board planned to team up with travel agents, airlines and online travel agents to promote Singapore when the recovery period ends.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Shanghai Disney shuts to prevent spread of virus

Walt Disney Co's Shanghai Disney Resort will be closed until further notice to help China stop the spread of a flu-like virus, costing the theme park operator revenue during the country's biggest holiday season.

China is on a seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, a period when the Shanghai Disney park would be usually packed with tourists. Last year Shanghai Disney had to stop selling tickets to visitors as the park got overcrowded.

"In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown ... starting Jan. 25," the company said on its website.

"We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and ... announce the reopening date upon confirmation."

Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and neighbouring Huanggang, a city of about 7 million people, were in virtual lockdown, with restrictions in place elsewhere. A new coronavirus which broke out in Wuhan, central China, late last year has killed 25 people and infected more than 800.

Many businesses including retailers, airlines, travel agencies and hotel operators are on high alert, as health authorities fear the infection rate could accelerate over the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad.

The outbreak has already prompted seven Chinese films that were set to premiere during the holiday to postpone screenings, forgoing what is usually the best week of the year at the Chinese box office.

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Disney said it would refund tickets for admission to Shanghai Disneyland, on China's east coast, more than 800 km from Wuhan, or other services at the park as well as hotel bookings.

The estimated financial impact on the U.S. company's first theme park in mainland China, which opened in mid-2016 in its largest overseas investment at $5.5 billion, was not immediately clear.

The company was not immediately available to comment.

Shanghai Disney carried out a resort-wide makeover this month for a four-week event through Feb. 9 to celebrate the Year of the Rat with its characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and target China's middle class and booming domestic tourism.

Walt Disney Co owns a 43 percent stake in Shanghai Disney Resort which has Shanghai Disneyland theme park and two hotels with a total of 1,220 rooms.

The impact on businesses is set to increase as China discourages locals from gathering in crowded places. It has already stepped up measures to contain the virus, with public transport suspensions in 10 cities, the shutting of temples and closing the Forbidden City, Beijing's most famous tourist attraction.

Japan's Fast Retailing Co Ltd said on Friday it has temporarily closed 17 Uniqlo stores in Wuhan. China is a key growth market for the company which faces a saturated market and weak consumer spending in Japan. 

Source - TheJakartaPost