The tourism industry expects P20 billion in revenue losses as tourist arrivals from China plunged after the new coronavirus outbreak, Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose C. Clemente III said on Monday.

“The arrivals for January and February are being affected at the moment — possible until March,” he said in a phone interview.

He said the estimated revenue losses are based on the drop in Chinese tourist arrivals from January up to March as it affects hotels, tour operators, restaurants, among others.

In the first half of 2019, the local tourism industry earned P245 billion in revenues or 17.57% more than the first half of 2018.

The Philippine government on Sunday expanded its temporary travel ban to the entirety of China and its territories Hong Kong and Macau as deaths from the coronavirus continue to rise. The ban includes foreigners from those areas and those who have visited the areas within 14 days.

Tourists from China made up more than 20% of arrivals in the Philippines last year, as the country’s second-biggest tourist market after South Korea.

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