Coronavirus: Taiwan’s tourism industry crumbles as virus fears add to mainland China travel restrictions

• Tourism on the self-ruled island is suffering from the coronavirus outbreak, despite a small number of confirmed cases, government and insiders say
• Taiwan’s cabinet has put forward a US$1.96 billion supplemental budget bill, most of which is destined for struggling local business, including tourism operators

South China Morning Post
Date: 29 Feb, 2020
By: Ralph Jennings

Buffeted first by mainland Chinese politics, Taiwan’s tourism industry is now crumbling because of growing fears about the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Taiwan on Friday had recorded just one death and over 30 confirmed cases of the virus, which has hobbled mainland China with tens of thousands of infections and in the last week began expanding rapidly in Japan, South Korea and Italy.

Although Taiwanese health officials say the cases are isolated and reject the risk of a community outbreak, tourism on the island has contracted sharply this year, according to travel agents and the government’s Tourism Bureau.    [FULL  STORY]