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PROVIDENCE – With the coronavirus dominating headlines and news cycles, the prospect of traveling abroad seems to have lost its luster for some, but not all, according to a number of Rhode Island’s travel agencies.
The businesses say while they are fielding some cancellations, many travelers, except those who were planning to visit Italy and China, are still set on their destinations.
“What we’re seeing largely is not so much people canceling but we are seeing some activity with people wanting to move to later in the year,” said Jeff Roy, executive vice president of worldwide operations for Collette Travel Services Inc., a Pawtucket-based travel company that specializes in international group tours.
The business has canceled six departures to China and won’t return service to the country until the fall. Twenty-six tours to Italy have been deferred to later in the year.
Travel to other areas hasn’t seen much impact, Roy said. “The world is continuing to operate and continuing to be on sale,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 95,333 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, worldwide.
About 80,500 are in China, and more than 3,800 in Italy. In Rhode Island, test results on two people were positive for COVID-19, and eight others are being tested. Health officials say the two people who tested positive traveled to Italy on a school trip in mid-February.
The news has made some potential travelers nervous. Read More.
