(TAN): The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has urged everyone to not stigmatise Asian tourists, including Chinese travellers, in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.
The virus has fuelled an upsurge of anti-China sentiment across the world, with primarily travellers bearing its brunt, reports said.
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According to a report, a couple arrived in Italian city Milan from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, on Chinese New Year holiday to face xenophobic circumstances. Three Chinese tourists were insulted in a restaurant in Turin, Italy while two Chinese travellers were spat at by a group of children in Venice, as per reports. Another tourist was reportedly barred from entering the archaeological park in Pompeii.
Italy, which reportedly receives the highest annual number of Chinese visitors among the European nations, welcomed five million Chinese tourists in 2018.
Chinese tourists were reportedly prohibited from entering Malaysia’s Putra Mosque, located in Putrajaya, which was condemned by Malaysia Inbound Tour Association. Its President, Uzaidi Udanis, reportedly said they did not discriminate against Chinese visitors.
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“We don’t discriminate against Chinese tourists. If they have been screened and proven healthy, there’s no need to stop them from traveling in Malaysia. Likewise, there’s no need for attractions and product operators to press the panic button,” he was quoted by Skift as saying.
With Chinese and Asian tourists constituting one of the world’s largest tourist groups, the WTTC cautioned against prejudiced reactions to Asian tourists which it said could cause long-term harm to the sector. According to data from WTTC, Chinese outbound travel spending grew sevenfold in the past decade, growing at a rate of 21.7% per year.
“We must not stigmatise. The coronavirus will not be solved by singling out individuals or groups from any country, such as China or those in other parts of Asia. While some of this misguided action may be well-meaning and it is clearly important the Travel & Tourism sector plays its part to contain the spread of the coronavirus, this will not be achieved by alienating the world’s biggest tourist group,” President and Chief Executive Officer of WTTC, Gloria Guevara, said.
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“China has become a key global player and its tourism market has experienced massive growth in recent years. Chinese tourists, travelling both individually and within groups account for 16% of the world’s international travel spending. More widely, Asia has experienced nearly 7% booming average annual growth in the sector over the last decade. There is no doubt that Travel & Tourism to and from China brings huge cultural and economic benefits to the world. At WTTC we believe the sector is a force for good and unites people no matter where they are from,” she added.
The WTTC also appreciated the effort made by private and public sectors to contain the spread of the virus through flight and hotel reservation deferrals, and flexible future travel options.
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