China bans overseas group travel, threatening Australia’s biggest international tourist market
Chinese government halts international group travel, in another blow to the nation’s battered tourism industry.
Tourism Australia confirmed the central government in China announced that all international group travel from China will be stopped from 27 January.
The decision made by China was confirmed in an email sent to operators in the Australian tourism industry on 26 January.
The email, signed off by Managing Director of Tourism Australia Phillipa Harrison, said there had been further developments with coronavirus since the last email to industry.
“Probably of greatest impact to the Australian tourism sector is the announcement that all group travel from China will be suspended from the 27th of January,” the email read.
The government agency could not confirm the “scope or duration of the decision” and are waiting for further information to clarify how the measure will affect tourism in Australia.
The message said that Tourism Australia would monitor the impact of the travel ban and asked for “insights or data” from operators to share in their next update.
The World Health Organisation have not recommended any “unnecessary restrictions” to international travel amid the outbreak in their latest update online.
“WHO advises that measures to limit the risk of exportation or importation of the disease should be implemented, without unnecessary restrictions of international traffic.”
Ms Harrison has been contacted for comment.
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