Coronavirus: Mass cancellation of hotel bookings in Kerala, says Minister

The negative propaganda during the time of Nipah had cost the tourism industry dearly, the minister noted

A day after the Kerala government declared the novel coronavirus as a 'state calamity', Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Tuesday said the epidemic outbreak had begun affecting the tourism sector as hotel bookings have suffered mass cancellations.

After the Nipah virus and deadly floods, the coronavirus outbreak has also adversely impacted the holiday industry as hotel bookings during the February-March months have been cancelled widely across the state, he said in the state Assembly during the question hour.

Three students, including a woman medico, from the state who studied in Wuhan university in China had tested positive for the virus in Thrissur,