Travel experts yesterday painted a bleak outlook for the local industry following the outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in South Korea, with some saying that it could dampen demand for tours to the country if Seoul fails to contain the spread of the deadly disease.
With Seoul reporting 30 confirmed cases of MERS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the alert for travel to South Korea to “yellow,” meaning travelers should be particularly cautious about their safety when they tour South Korea and consider whether the trip is necessary.
The alert mainly applies to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
Roget Hsu (許高慶), former secretary general of the Travel Agent Association, said that sales of tour packages to South Korea had stalled following the oubreak.
Whether travel agencies are able to weather “the storm” this month remains to be seen, he said.
Lion Travel Service Co spokesman Andy Yu (游國珍) estimated that the outbreak could reduce tourist numbers by 10 to 20 percent.
“A lot of our customers go on incentive tours funded by companies, and they are concerned that all employees might be quarantined when they return to Taiwan,” Yu said.
Some travel agencies said that news about the disease has mainly affected tour groups to Seoul, with about 10 to 20 percent asking for refunds.
Tour groups to Busan and Jeju Island are continuing as scheduled, they said.
Standard contracts between travel agencies and customers for overseas tours state that in cases of outbreaks, travelers can ask for refunds of up to 90 percent of the tour fee if they cancel, depending on the number of days remaining before the travel date.
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