An outbreak originating in the central China city of Wuhan, which was identified by the World Health Organization as a novel coronavirus in January 2020, has drawn comparisons to the 2003 SARS outbreak, which infected more than 8,000 people around the world, was lethal to nearly a tenth of that number, and had a prolonged negative effect on travel and tourism.

As news of this latest virus and its spread and toll continues to develop, Hotel News Now and its parent company STR will monitor and report on its impact and implications on the hotel and travel industries.