Travel agents strained as flights get cancelled amid coronavirus fears

North Queensland travel agents are urging travellers to remain calm as a number of carriers cancel flights as the number of coronavirus cases rises across the world.

North Queensland travel agents are urging travellers to remain calm after airlines cancelled flights as the number of coronavirus cases rose across the world.

Qatar Airways suspended its flights to Italy until the end of the month, Ingham Travel manager Kathleen Lynch said.

With almost one-in-four people in Ingham of Italian heritage, Ms Lynch said the respiratory was having a negative effect among the community.

“With our Italy bookings, a number of flights had been ceased to northern Italy until the end of the month,” she said.

“A lot of my clients said they won’t be flying until there is a vaccination. I think a lot of people are reconsidering.”

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Ms Lynch believed the cancellations to Italy were “a little over cautious”.

The Federal Government’s smartraveller website advised travellers heading to Italy exercise a high degree of caution due to the heightened rise of sustained local transmission of coronavirus.

The site advised travellers reconsider their need to travel the small towns of Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano in Lombardy and Vo’ Euganeo in Veneto in the country’s north.

The advice level for another countries has been raised. It is advised people do not travel to China and Iran while people heading to Mongolia, Japan and South Korea are advised to exercise extreme caution.

Helloworld Travel Ayr manager Pierina Dalle Cort likened the current fear of travelling to previous major events such as the September 11 attacks and global outbreaks of bird and swine flu.

“Once it quietens down people go back to normal,” Ms Dalle Cort said.

She said business had been hit hard and encouraged people to not panic.

“It’s breaking our heart after many months of hard work we are turning around to do the hard work for cancellations,” she said.

“People are frightened probably more than they should be.

“Money is walking to out the door. We can only deal with it one month at a time.”

Ten people in Queensland have contracted the virus. Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned the virus could become a pandemic.

Originally published as Travel agents strained as flights get cancelled amid coronavirus fears