Tour-related businesses to suffer most from Wuhan virus: Fitch

Fitch Ratings, a global credit ratings firm, said Friday companies involved in the tourism business will bear the brunt of the spreading Wuhan coronavirus if the scale of the virus outbreak increases substantially.

"The global airlines, gaming, lodging and leisure sectors are vulnerable to pandemics that influence consumer behavior.

Operational disruptions caused by idiosyncratic events, including disease outbreaks, are a perennial risk faced by these sectors," Fitch said in a statement.

The new SARS-like virus was first reported in Wuhan, China, late last month. It has not reached pandemic status but has sickened hundreds of people, some fatally, in China and internationally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a briefing held in Geneva on Thursday (local time), WHO opted not to declare the Wuhan coronavirus as a global health emergency. It said it will continue to monitor the virus.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2014-2015 are also coronaviruses. (Yonhap)