Bookings are down 80% for a Dunedin travel agency as it deals with a flurry of clients whose travel plans have been thrown into chaos due to coronavirus.
Uncertainty abounds over when global travel restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus will be eased, causing major disruption for people with holidays planned, or future trips in mind.
Travel agents have been working flat tack to help customers amend or cancel their plans, including Dunedin agency Vincent George Travel.
Co-owner Rosann Connolly-George said future bookings were down by about 80%.
"We’ve probably taken a massive hit," she said.
"But we are very lucky that the clients we have at this time have great faith in us."
A lot of people had been getting in touch with concerns before Saturday’s travel restriction announcement, but afterwards that "ramped up an awful lot".
They were urging people to postpone, rather than cancel, their trips.
Operators were becoming more open to offering credit and allowing people to book new dates, she said.
The agency had been able to secure the services of a shuttle company to ferry people arriving back into Dunedin to their homes.
"A lot of transfer companies are not wanting to take people, especially groups of people."
Other travel agencies contacted yesterday declined to comment.
