SOUTH Cumbria businesses are steeling themselves ahead of anticipated losses due to coronavirus.

A number of south Cumbria businesses have reported a considerable decline in custom over previous weeks as a result of the spread of the virus.

Some business owners fear job lay-offs may have to be made if trade does not recover by Easter.

Furness General Hospital announced it had processed a patient who tested positive for the virus yesterday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Cumbria as a whole to nine.

Sales and marketing director at Windermere Cruises, Jennifer Cormack, warned the scenario faced by businesses in south Cumbria was ‘unprecedented’ and that the potential losses as a result of the fallout from the pandemic 'could be huge’.

“Before we were just seeing Chinese visitors cancelling in large numbers. Now, Japanese, European, US and South-East Asian holidaymakers are also beginning to withdraw bookings.

“Even more concerning is that hoteliers are also reporting domestic cancellations.”

The feedback from Cumbria's tourism sector, however, has been varied.

A spokeswoman for Ambleside Inn said that there had been ‘no impact on reservations at all’ as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Another Lakes hotel director said: “The fallout hasn’t been as dramatic as you’d expect. But we’re bracing ourselves for large-scale cancellations in the coming weeks.”

Allison Magee-Barker, owner of AJ Lakes Consultancy, said that at a business event in Birmingham she had ‘heard worrying stories of Chinese visitors being turned away from accommodation providers’ in Cumbria.

“This is backward thinking,” she said.

“Businesses need to take the initiative instead of waiting for the government to act.

“They need to actively communicate, they need to make sure adequate sanitisation measures are in place. What we really shouldn’t be doing is turning people away. We’ve got to be the beacon.

“The last thing we need is for everyone to panic and for people to not visit Cumbria as a result.”

UK and US markets experienced their worst trading day since the 2008 financial crash in what was dubbed a new Black Monday this week, exacerbating wider losses and uncertainty for business.

National airline British Airways has responded to flights cancellations and trip deferrals by offering greater booking flexibility this month.

Similarly, in an effort to counteract the slump brought on by spread of coronavirus, a number of businesses in the area have launched a range of discount offers in a bid to attract visitors from closer quarters.

Windermere Lake Cruises and the Lakeland Motor Museum, for instance, are currently offering 50% discount rates to visitors with either a CA or LA postcode.

Mrs Cormack believe the dip in custom that businesses in the area have experienced over previous weeks, however, could also be down to other factors besides coronavirus and hopes the cancellations may push domestic holidaymakers to stay put this year.

She said: “The cancellations and losses for local business could partially be down to the poor weather we experienced throughout February, with all the storms we had at weekends impacting tourism.

"This year was billed as the year of the 'staycation' due to Brexit. So we're hoping that UK tourists might look for holidays and trips without going abroad."

“As for a clearer sense of the coronavirus impact, we’ll probably have a better idea after Easter.

“Until then, we’re maintaining a business-as-usual approach and we’re looking forward to some better weather in the coming weeks.”