As Skift reported, it's difficult for travel advisers to get refunds from airlines and other travel providers, so most agencies and trip operators are offering to postpone customers' trips rather than outright cancel them.
Black Tomato, which organizes bespoke luxury vacations and adventure expeditions that average $10,500 for a seven-day trip, is offering to reschedule trips planned through the end of April to destinations most impacted by the virus, in particular Japan and Italy.
For other destinations, the company told Business Insider it's dealing with postponing trips or offering refunds on a case-by-case basis.
"That said, the vast majority of our clients have been much more inclined to postpone their travel dates and not cancel outright, preferring to find an alternative time later in the year or in 2021," Black Tomato cofounder Tom Marchant told Business Insider.
Luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent is temporarily suspending all trips for guests scheduled to travel on or after March 17, 2020, according to its website.
After April 30, travel will resume, with the exception of trips to China in the month of May, which will remain canceled. Abercrombie & Kent isn't offering refunds for cancellations at this time, but money put toward canceled trips will be applied to a future booking made up to 12 months from the original departure date, along with a 10% discount.
While some customers rush to cancel trips to Asia and other destinations most impacted by the virus, Black Tomato has seen an uptick in domestic travel inquiries and increased interest in travel to Scandinavian countries, Iceland, North America, and South America, according to Marchant.
Marchant says that most of Black Tomato's clients aren't so much worried about contracting the coronavirus as much as they're concerned about getting stuck somewhere for an indefinite period of time.
"The reality is many of our clients are busy, in-demand urban professionals with full work calendars, so the uncertainty of being quarantined is something at the forefront of the conversation," Marchant said.