Coronavirus outbreak: Bookings dip for South East Asian destinations

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Travel agents are wary of cancellations of leisure trips to Southeast Asia, even as local governments step up their drive to contain coronavirus. While travel to China is dominated by the business segment, leisure drives growth for markets like Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Thailand — which has detected 14 cases of coronavirus infection (more than any country outside China) — has begun screening tour guides and has asked travel firms to monitor customers for symptoms. Singapore has decided to stop entry or transit to visitors who have travelled to the coronavirus-impacted Hubei region of China in the past 14 days,