Great South offers support to Southland businesses affected by coronavirus

Wednesday, 29 January 2020

Tourists arriving in New Zealand wearing face masks.

Great South and the Southland Chamber of Commerce have extended their support to tourism operators in the region who may be affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese government are likely to affect inbound bookings from Chinese travellers, Great South says in a newsletter to tourism businesses.

Great South general manager for tourism and events Bobbi Brown said the organisation will be keeping tourism operators informed about the coronavirus outbreak.

Great South general manager for tourism and events Bobbi Brown said the newsletter - which included links to the Southern District Health Board's coronavirus page - was sent to keep businesses informed.

'It's quite a significant concern around the world. We though it was important that out operators have information,' Brown said.

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The acceleration of the outbreak coincided with Lunar New Year celebrations which were traditionally a busy time for Chinese travellers.

Brown said it was too early to gauge exactly how the outbreak would impact tourism businesses in the region.

'We don't know anything about the situation in Southland yet,' she said.

Great South have invited businesses who've had cancellations because of virus concerns or travel restrictions to contact the organisation for support.

The newsletter follows a statement made by Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England Hall who encouraged the tourism industry to liaise with Chinese partners and travel sellers on how the travel restrictions may affect upcoming arrivals.

'The way New Zealand manages any cancellations will be extremely important,' he said.

Brown agrees: 'We have to maintain a welcoming and understanding approach.'

'Offering our welcome for future travel will set us apart and help us secure future business,' Hall said.

At least 132 people have died after being infected with coronavirus - a strain of pneumonia - since the disease was first identified in China in December.

The Chinese government has now put 15 cities on lock down, which means about 40 million people are unable to leave Hubei province where the disease originated.

More than 6000 cases have been reported worldwide.

Brown said while the situation had been managed well in New Zealand so far, it was important that those within the tourism industry continued communicating.

Great South staff were keeping in contact with regional tourism networks across the country to ensure they kept up to date with the latest developments.