Coach firm sees bookings plunge over virus fears

Dave Parry, managing director of Parry International Tours, said they were down 75 per cent on coach tours for the last fortnight due to fears over coronavirus.

"Bookings have now stopped. People just don't want to travel.

"We had really good bookings up to a couple of weeks ago, but since then the spread of the virus has worried everyone, particularly our demographic age group, which is mainly older people who are worried about being in close proximity to other people who may have the virus.

"We have had to cancel all out Italian tours for the next couple of months and the Government advice is now to do that until the end of the year.

"Italy is one of our biggest areas for tours and we were due to start our full tour programme there around Easter time."

Mr Parry said UK coach trips and holidays were also suffering.

"We are taking as many precautions as possible, including having sanitiser on coaches and hot water and soap in the toilets of all coaches.

"We are carrying on as normal where we can and have been in touch with hotels to explain the problems of people cancelling and numbers not being what they should be. They are all keen for us to keep coming – they also need the revenue.

"A lot of people are also coming in to cancel or delay holidays to the end of the year or next year. We are helping as much as we can with no cancellation or transfer fees," said Mr Parry, who has had to cancel his own holiday this week – a cruise that was due to start from Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

"I need to be here to look after the crisis we have got," he added.

The 47-year-old firm at Landywood Green employs 35 and has a dozen coaches. It normally takes 25,000 people from across the West Midlands on holidays each year.