GBTA ANALYSIS FINDS STEEP INCREASE IN TRAVEL WAIVERS, SUSPENSIONS, AND CANCELATIONS

Headlines:

• Corporate suspensions and cancellations, especially for international business travel, have witnessed a sharply due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
• The results were announced after a careful study by the Global Business Travel Association in thei...

MULTIPLE AIRLINES EXTEND TRAVEL WAIVERS TO ITALY IN FACE OF INCREASED COVID-19 CASES

Highlights:

• As Italy becomes the worst-hit nation outside of Asia, a number of airlines scale back flights and extend/ issue change waivers.

American Airlines is suspending all its operations to and from Milan, a part of the CO...

CHINESE FIRMS DEVELOP AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY IN THEIR BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19

Highlights:

• President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for the country's tech sector to join federal forces and help battle the widespread disease caused by the novel virus.

• In order to minimize the risk of cross-infection of the COVID-19, se...

UK PLANS SCHOOL CLOSURES AND TRAVEL CURBS AMID WIDESPREAD COVID-19 CASES

Highlights:

• Unnecessary travel may be curbed and people have been urged to work from home in major parts of the country.

• A new legislation will be introduced that will ensure ministers have the power to prepare for a widespread outbreak if the ne...

IATA REQUESTS MAJOR REGULATORS TO EASE SLOT RULES AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Highlights:

• The IATA (International Air Transport Association) requested major aviation regulators around the world to suspend airport slot requirements as the coronavirus outbreak fuelled the rising flight cancellations.

• The outbreak of the COVI...

AMERICAN AIRLINES, UNITED, DELTA TO REDUCE OR SUSPEND FLIGHT SERVICES THROUGH MAR-APR

Highlights:

• United Airlines will suspend its flight service between Tokyo's Narita International Airport and a few U.S. hubs for several weeks due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
• Other airlines also said they would limit service on other rout...

POOR DEMAND LEADS TO 50% REDUCED OPERATIONS OF PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS

Highlights:

• Ethylene demand from China had shown an ever-dropping decline since the Lunar New Year holidays in January.

• Petrochemical sources said the sluggish demand situation dragged on following the COVID-19 outbreak in China with an extended ...

TRAVELING AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK? KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS A TRAVELER

Highlights:

• China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran, among several other countries, have reported significant numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases.

• Governments are doing their best to contain the threat and have imposed several regulations. Yet, th...

HUNDREDS OF ITALIANS LINE OUTSIDE SUPERMARKETS, STOCK UP ON PROVISIONS BEFORE COMPLETE LOCKDOWN

Highlights:

• Italians prepare for a week-long quarantine in thousands after the announcement on Sunday.
• Locals faced with new lockdown measures express nervousness and dismay over limited food stocking options.

With the death of two p...

UK NATIONALS STRANDED ONBOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP TO FLY BACK TODAY

Highlights:

• Almost 70 citizens of the United Kingdom are expected to leave the ship and board a pre-scheduled repatriation flight on Friday.

• The passengers from the quarantined ship are due to land in Wiltshire on Saturday

• They w...

CORONAVIRUS SEVERELY IMPACTS BUSINESS FOR THE HYATT HOTELS GROUP

Highlights:

• The Hyatt Hotels Group expects a full-year RevPAR growth in the range of negative 0.5 to 1.5 percent for the year 2020.
• Growth of Net Rooms is expected to be in the range of 6.5 to 7 percent, representing 80 planned new hotel openings.

PASSENGERS BEGIN DISEMBARKING FROM THE VIRUS-HIT DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP

Highlights:

• The ship was carrying a total of 3,700 passengers and crew, those who tested negative but were in cabins with infected people will remain on board for additional quarantine.

• The largest outbreak of the Covid-19 virus other than mainla...

CHINA’S PETROCHEMICAL DEMAND DAMPENED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Highlights:

• Weekly imports fell to 187,000 mt compared to the country’s average volume of 340,000- 490,000 mt.

• Gradual recovery in demand for PDH plants is estimated, but demand at households are still in low levels

PRINCESS CRUISE CREW MEMBERS RISK THEIR HEALTH WHILE SERVING HUNDREDS OF PASSENGERS REGULARLY

Highlights:

• Crew members aboard the Diamond Princess cannot be given the same protections as the passengers they are expected to serve.
• Public health experts told reporters that cruise ships are highly susceptible to the spread of contagious diseases ...

DIAMOND PRINCESS UPDATE- 355 CONFIRMED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS ABOARD THE CRUISE SHIP

Highlights:

• The confirmed cases of people infected with the new coronavirus on the quarantined Diamond Princess Cruise ship rose by 70 to a total of 355.

• The United States, Canada, and Hong Kong are preparing to repatriate their citizens stranded...

‘CONTACTLESS PICK AND DROP’ GAINS MOMENTUM FOR FAST-FOOD COMPANIES IN CHINA

Highlights:

•          The world’s second-largest economy struggles to keep its place amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

•          Starbucks, McDonald...

QATAR FORCED TO REROUTE NATURAL GAS AND OIL DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Highlights:

• Qatar is one of the biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters in the world. However, the coronavirus outbreak has made things difficult for the company.
• At present, Qatar is working with importers in China to reschedule and even re-rou...

PATA ADVENTURE TRAVEL CONFERENCE AND MART 2020 TO CONCLUDE TODAY

Highlights:

• The PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2020 event began on 12 February at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
• It has attracted 368 delegates from 33 countries in attendance for the 3-day niche event, international delegates comprised 40...

JAPAN’S MANUFACTURING PLANTS IN CHINA SUFFER FURTHER DELAYS IN OPERATIONS

Highlights:

• COVID-19 outbreak has affected manufacturing factories of major brands
• Japan brands further delay reopening till 17th February

The COVID-19 virus outbreak has affected the manufacturing process of major brands. The Japane...

NO QUARANTINE FOR CREW ABOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE

Highlights:

• A crew member from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship fears the crew are at greater risk of being infected.
• The crew are not being quarantined like the passengers and are having to continue to take care of all other elite guests aboard the v...