With the world’s attention focused on the Novel Coronavirus and its possible further spread, it’s having a variety of different effects on the travel industry. Most of the effects are cancellations and losses, but one city has seen an opportunity.
Among the latest announcements, NCL has cancelled all its Asia cruises through summer by three of its brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. Norwegian Spirit, the ship with the most canceled itineraries, will cruise in the Mediterranean instead.
For airlines, the effects are also quite sharp, with nearly all Western airlines dropping their routes to China and a number of other Asian destinations, and regional flying as well as trans-Pacific by Asian airlines is also way down.
But Kyoto, Japan, sees an opportunity. The city, which has been packed for years with tourists, has lost its huge numbers of tourists from China, and is advertising its empty state as an inducement for others to come while it’s not so hectic. The posters play up local attractions with clever text; the monkey poster advertises that for the first time in years, there are more monkeys than people at the zoo.
