The European Union reported the first losses of the travel industry due to the coronavirus.
"The impact on tourism and air transport is already being felt. And this is just the beginning, " Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the EU's internal market, told reporters.
According to the European Commission, due to the coronavirus the number of Chinese tourists visiting EU member states decreased by 250.000 in the period from January to January. As a result, hotel owners lost two million overnight stops of tourists from China. European air carriers were also affected.
To monitor the situation, the European Commission asked EU states to provide data on the negative impact on various business areas associated with the coronavirus.
According to the latest data, more than 86.900 people have been infected with COVID-19 worldwide, most of them in China. About 2.900 patients died, and 42.100 were cured.
In addition to China, where the virus was first detected, cases have been recorded in more than 30 countries, including Russia.
