The early months of 2020 have been especially chilly for Ivy Meng, a Beijing-based homestay host, after waking up to news that online booking platforms Airbnb and Xiaozhu will suspend all bookings in the city for the rest of the month as China continues to battle a deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Meng is among China’s growing number of homestay owners who now face the harsh realities of online bookings being wiped out by health fears across the country, which faces an unprecedented collapse in tourism and travel at what is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year.
Online travel giant Ctrip announced last week that it would offer 10 billion yuan (US$1.42 billion) in small loans to hotel operators and service providers on its platforms in an effort to get through the “special period.”
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