VISIT Malaysia Year 2020 got off to a bad start following the coronavirus outbreak, with tourism industry players reporting cancellations of hotel stays and flights, said Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.

The deputy tourism, arts and culture minister said the ministry has been receiving word of cancellations.

“Yesterday, one hotel said 90 rooms were cancelled,” Bakhtiar said.

“The situation will be monitored.”

On January 23, AirAsia and Malindo Air announced that they will stop flights to and from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

Bakhtiar said a meeting will be held with the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents and Malaysian Association of Hotels tomorrow to discuss the situation.

He admitted Visit Malaysia 2020 will likely be affected by the outbreak.

“We will see how it goes,” he said when asked if the tourist arrivals targes will be revised.

“We received 3.2 million Chinese visitors last year. They are one of our top five tourist arrivals,” he said.

In Johor, Bernama reports state Tourism, Women, Family and Community Development committee chairman Liow Cai Tung as saying coronavirus outbreak will affect Visit Malaysia 2020 and Visit Johor Year in the short run.

The state government, she said, would draw up a new tourism strategy after the situation has returned to normal.

Following the outbreak of coronavirus, she said briefings will be carried by the state Health Department for tourism industry players on the protocol and measures to be taken to curb infections.

Malaysia has four confirmed cases of the virus, all of whom are Chinese nationals who travelled here. – January 26, 2020.