Sars and Travel to Singapore

1.0 SARS Outbreak

1.1 Executive Summary

War and natural disasters are not the only factors that can have an adverse effect on international travel. Sometimes a virulent virus can create enough ripples of panic in tourists that travel plans are changed or canceled and countries which are heavily dependent on tourism suffer as people stop flying or stay closer to home. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is one such example of a virus that steered tourists away from traveling to certain regions of the world. Beginning in February 2003, SARS spread rapidly along the routes of worldwide air travel, placing any country with an international airport at risk. Not knowing all that there is to know about SARS has led to thousands of canceled travel bookings as many companies and individuals are heeding the advice to not travel to affected countries unless absolutely necessary (Overlook, 2003). Within weeks, SARS spread from Guangdong through Hong Kong to more than 30 countries across 6 continents (Min, 2005). Although this was a past event, it does not mean that there would not be another virus crisis in the future, thus this report is written to provide insights to the impact of SARS.

1.2 Scope of Report

This report will discuss how SARS had an impact on international travel and to Singapore in particular. It analyzes the effects of SARS on international travel management and will also discuss what changes were made by governments and international bodies to curb the spreading of SARS and its path to recovery. Finally this report will conclude by discussing possible future implications for Singapore, the region and international travel.

2.0 Impact on International Travel

2.1 Stricter Airline/Airport Policies

The World Health Organization advises that passengers with flu-like symptoms or who may have been exposed to SARS should not be allowed to fly (World Health Organization, 2003). This is based on the possibility that SARS may be passed on to other passengers during flights (Mangili & Gendreau, 2005). This advice is particularly geared at flights leaving from cities where SARS has been detected. Airline crew members are being asked to participate in the battle against SARS by watching for sick passengers and isolating them from other passengers if at all possible (World Health Organization, 2003). Due to the SARS crisis, most airports have now installed thermal cameras to detect anyone who is showing abnormal body temperature (Henderson, 2003). Random temperature checks were also done to people traveling as a form of precaution.

2.2 Cancellation of Travel

Numerous organizations advised people to postpone trips to Asia (Overlook, 2003). Many companies ceased business travel to Asia choosing to wait till the crisis is over before re-evaluating its plans. Travelers, who had planed to travel to Asia, choose to travel to America or Europe instead, especially to countries which were not facing the SARS crisis (Mason, Grabowski & Du, 2005). This was strongly felt in locations with specific links to the SARS. Hence in Guangdong, more than half of inbound international tour groups had been cancelled by early MAY 2003 (Dombey, 2003). Hong Kong was also badly affected having lost two-thirds of their traffic. Tour agencies had to cancel prior bookings and offer refunds to customers.

2.3 Change in Perception of Safe Countries

Countries that were once considered safe for travel and a recommended tourist spot were now shun by tourist and business people. One of the reasons for this is the attention given to the SARS crisis by the media, often sensationalist and alarmist tones (Mason, Grabowski & Du, 2005). Some countries which did not deal with the SARS crisis efficiently had a hard time rebuilding its reputation.

3.0 Impact of SARS on Singapore

3.1 Decline in Arrivals

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised that people should postpone travel not only to Hong Kong but to all of China, Singapore, and Vietnam (Mason, Grabowski & Du, 2005). Due to travel warnings by the World Health Organization (WHO), multinational giants like Apple Computer, Exxon Mobil, Nokia and Shell, and major countries like the US, arrivals to Singapore declined sharply. This led to a diversion of visitors and business people traveling to non-listed countries like the America, even though at that time, Canada had cases of SARS. Singapore reported a 61% decline of arrivals after being on the travel warning list for two weeks (Henderson, 2003). The largest impact in Singapore was felt in visitor exports from