Tourist hot spots are seeing an obvious decline in numbers as Asia is hit by the coronavirus. Whether it is the Sensoji temple in Tokyo, the Shanghai Bund, or the Merlion Park in Singapore, scenes of the throngs from last year (before) stand in stark contrast to the nearly empty tourist hubs shot this month (after).

According to an online report on The Guardian, the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to drop sharply this year, the World Tourism Organisation has said, reversing a previous forecast of a substantial increase.

The United Nations body says arrivals are now projected to fall by 1 per cent to 3 per cent this year, instead of the previous forecast of 3 per cent to 4 per cent growth, with losses of US$30 billion (S$41.5 billion) to US$50 billion in international tourism receipts anticipated.