Russia's tourism sector has already taken a 27 billion rouble ($406 million) hit from the impact of coronavirus, the head of the Russian Association of Tour Operators said on Thursday in a plea for government support.

The coronavirus outbreak has caused havoc across the global travel industry as companies restrict employee trips, airlines axe flights, major events are postponed and holidaymakers choose to stay at home or delay their travel.

Russia has restricted flights to China, Iran and South Korea and warned against travel to those countries, as well as to Italy which is a popular destination for Russian tourists.

In the past week, the number of bookings with Russian tour operators has slumped 20% to 25% from the previous week, with some agencies reporting no sales at all, lobby group chief Maya Lomidze told a news conference in Moscow.

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