DESPITE reports of the MERS outbreak in South Korea, holidaymakers from Singapore and Malaysia are still going ahead with vacation plans in the country.
As of press time, there were no cancellations at travel agencies that TTG Asia e-Daily interviewed.
Singapore-based Chan Brothers Travel is running tours as per normal in South Korea. Marketing communications executive Rebecca Chia said: “Customers who have signed up for upcoming South Korean tours have expressed concern, but are also adopting a wait-and-see approach.”
Cooper Huang, CEO of Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, anticipates some booking cancellations within these two months as people become afraid of travelling to South Korea.
On the other hand, Desmond Lee, managing director of Malaysia’s Apple Vacations & Conventions does not expect cancellations unless the Malaysian government released a travel advisory.
Since last month, two people have died after contracting the respiratory virus in South Korea. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 35 confirmed cases and the number of people under quarantine has risen to 1,369, reported AFP. More than 200 schools have also been shut as a precaution.
However, neither the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) nor the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued advisories against travel to South Korea, although WHO said in a statement that the MERS outbreak is likely to grow.
When contacted by TTG Asia e-Daily, a KTO spokeswoman said: “The KTO Singapore office is currently closely monitoring the situation in South Korea and is updating the trade partners about the situation.
“KTO would also like to encourage Singaporeans travelling to South Korea to observe measures recommended by health authorities, to adopt general health precautions and purchase adequate travel insurance.”
Meanwhile, AFP quoted KTO as saying that around 7,000 tourists, mostly from China and Taiwan, have cancelled planned group tours to South Korea, citing the MERS outbreak as the main reason.
