In U.S. Chinatowns, illness fears curb travel
By Wei Gu REUTERS 5:00 a.m., April 1, 2003
NEW YORK – For travel agencies serving Chinatowns across the United States, an Asian-centered outbreak of a deadly illness could not have come at a worse time, with the war in Iraq already making travelers think twice about booking overseas flights.
The illness, known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, has killed about 60 people worldwide, many of them in Asia, and infected more than 1,600 since emerging in southern China in November. News of the disease's impact has led to a dramatic drop in reservations from Asians flying from the United States to China, Hong Kong and other regional destinations, travel agencies say.
Since reports about the sickness began circulating about two weeks ago, New York City-based Paradise Vacations has lost 80 percent of its business and is now running at an average of just 100 air tickets a month, down from 500 per month a year ago, said its general manager David Lo. The travel agency went from having 100 customers traveling to China each month to just 10.
While some of the decline may have been due to concerns about flying while the war rages in Iraq, Lo says he is certain the biggest culprit is the mystery respiratory illness.
"The war won't cost your life because the bombs are not being dropped in China, but the virus will kill you," he said.
Chinese-language papers published in Chinatowns across the country have been carrying often alarmist headlines about the illness, with war coverage often taking a backseat.
The SARS outbreak has also led to concerns among the broader American community about booking trips to China. Kevin Starke, who works in a brokerage research department, said he may cancel his July trip to Hong Kong unless the situation improves.
"Hong Kong is very crowded. If there is an airborne virus spreading in a place like that, you will have a very good chance of getting it," he said.
"I just don't think I will risk one, dying, and two, getting very sick, having to spend a month in a hospital," Starke said. "I may (have to) be quarantined, have permanent lung damage, or spread that to the people that I return home to."
Hong Kong remains the most severely affected area outside of mainland China, with more than 530 cases, according to the World Health Organization figures – many of whom are in intensive care – and there have been some 15 deaths.
WORLDWIDE ALARMS
The travel agencies in New York's Chinese communities were already suffering from the impact of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the economic downturn and the uncertainties surrounding the war. Manhattan's Chinatown is only about a mile from the site of the destroyed World Trade Center.
The spreading disease has dealt another blow to the airline industry. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Monday it had cut 47 flights a week to eight destinations in Asia starting in mid-April due to weak demand. UAL Corp. and Northwest Airlines Corp., which have both recently reduced international schedules, said it was hard to differentiate between the impact of the illness and the war.
The outbreak of the lethal disease quickly set off worldwide alarms. The World Health Organization has recommended screening of air passengers departing from affected areas. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to postpone nonessential travel to Hong Kong, China, Singapore and the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
Chinese travel businesses that mushroomed in recent years as the Chinese economy took off and with an influx of new immigrants are now suffering. Visitors from China have been postponing plans to come to the United States because of the disease and the war, which has made it harder to get U.S. visas.
Oceania Tours in Chicago said air ticket bookings were down by a third from the same time last year. In San Francisco's Chinatown, Van Vic Vacations said 15 percent of its customers have canceled trips and new bookings have dwindled.
"Bad things don't come alone, now the disease has just added ice to the snow that we were experiencing," Van Vic manager Victor Chen said.
For small tourist agencies, the disease may be a death knell. L&L N.Y. Inc., a travel agency in Manhattan's Chinatown, said even the most popular $55 two-day, New York-to-Washington package has become a hard sell. To boost traffic, several agencies are offering "buy two and get one free" trips, but Mark Qian, general manager of L&L, says he does not think that will help.
"People just don't have travel on their minds, and we cannot offer free trips," Qian said. "The SARS will make it hard for small players to survive."