Tourism pioneer James Kwan, 78, the first Aussie to die from coronavirus

James Kwan had just begun a relaxing family holiday aboard the Diamond Princess when a deadly coronavirus outbreak erupted.

James Kwan in a cave in Ha Long Bay Vietnam – a shore excursion while on the Diamond Princess cruise. Picture: Supplied

Retired travel agent James Kwan had just begun a relaxing holiday with his wife Theresa, son Edwin and his daughter-in-law aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship when a deadly coronavirus outbreak erupted on the liner.

On Sunday, Western Australia’s Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson confirmed the Perth man had become the first Australian to die from the disease.

The 78-year-old and his 79-year-old wife had been among more than 3700 passengers and crew when the liner was placed under a two-week quarantine near Yokohama, in Japan, on February 5 after 10 passengers tested positive to the coronavirus.

James Kwan leaves quarantine in Darwin on February 21. Picture: Glenn Campbell

As the ship idled in isolation, the disease spread throughout the ship, infecting more than 700 ­people. Mr Kwan was diagnosed about 10 days ago while in quarantine at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory after being evacuated from the ship along with 163 other Australians.

He was flown to Perth on February 21 for further treatment and was placed in isolation at the city’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, where he died in the early hours of Sunday.

Mrs Kwan was also diagnosed with the virus a few days ago and is in a stable condition at the same hospital, where she paid tribute to her husband on Sunday. “My husband passed away peacefully knowing that his family loved him,” she said in a statement.

Dr Robertson insisted the death was not a risk to the community as the man had been in isolation ever since he was diagnosed.

“He was in his late 70s. Like many people in that age, they’re more likely to have other chronic conditions and it would obviously make being able to fight off this virus more difficult,” he said.

It is understood Mr Kwan’s daughter-in-law remains in quarantine in Howard Springs while his son is still in Japan.

Mr Kwan was remembered as a devoted family man and a pioneer in the West Australian tourism ­industry. He founded one of Perth’s first inbound tour companies, Wel-Travel, in 1988, before handing it in recent years to his son Edwin.

“James and Theresa were very much a hand-in-glove couple — wherever James was, Theresa was there to support him in the family business,” a friend who didn’t want to be identified said. “It’s really tragic.”

The local tourism industry sent condolences to the family, including the Australian Tourism Export Council, the board of which Mr Kwan sat on as a respected member for several years. “James was always smiling, and he gave a lot of time to the industry,” ATEC managing director Peter Shelley said.

“He broke a lot of new ground in the inbound tourism area, moving into places like Malaysia, China and Indonesia early on. It’s partly on his shoulders that an industry dedicated to bringing in international tourists has grown.”

Manny Papadoulis, a tourism operator who partnered with Wel-Travel, said Mr Kwan “was pretty much a legend, a well-respected man”. “James went out and pioneered markets in Asia, and expanded his business to the east coast,” he said. “He was a really good operator and what has happened is very sad.”

When the Kwans handed the business to their son and retired some years ago, they may have felt inclined to enjoy the tourist jaunts they had delivered to tens of thousands of clients.

By then, the company had offices on the Gold Coast, in Melbourne and Perth and was listed by Austrade as a favoured tour operator under China’s Approved Destination Scheme. But in December, the family business fell on hard times. Wel-Travel experienced financial difficulties, and Edwin Kwan placed the company in administration.