Skift Take
The growing number of coronavirus cases in Singapore has heightened worries about human-to-human transmission among travelers, but the government’s swift and clear response so far shows its ability to manage a crisis.
Singapore's tourism arrivals and receipts will “take a significant hit” as result of the novel coronavirus, with visitor arrivals this year expected to dip about 25 to 30 percent, according to the latest estimates released Tuesday from the Singapore Tourism Board.
This was a hard estimate to put out. Consistently ranked among Asia’s top regarded tourism and business destinations, Singapore attracts multinational meetings and events from across the globe as organizers and planners favor the city’s travel connectivity, top-notch infrastructure and stellar array of attractions.
The coronavirus outbreak puts Singapore’s hub status into question, as coronaviruses infections mount in the city and a cluster of local and overseas coronavirus cases have been traced to a multinational business meeting involving more than 100 local and overseas participants at Grand Hyatt Singapore three weeks ago.
Even though the Singapore government was swift to implement travel restrictions on arrivals from mainland China to stem the spread of the virus, the country now has 45 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, the highest outside of China, excluding a quarantined cruise ship in Japan.
Shaken, Not Stirred
Singapore on Feb. 7 stepped up its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level from yellow to orange,
