Coronavirus continues to spread across Europe and the Middle East and has officially made its first appearance in South America, sending officials scrambling to keep up and pushing businesses that are struggling to adapt to the economic effects of an outbreak showing no signs of pause.
With the uncertainty of a new virus whose vaccine the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said is 12-18 months away, travelers are pausing vacation plans.
Travel website Trivago's CEO Axel Hefer told Cheddar Tuesday the company has seen "quite a significant effect" on its markets across Asia.
But the spread of the infectious disease is hard to predict, as seen in Europe over the past week, where the number of cases ballooned in Italy over a few days.
"In travel, it's all about uncertainty, obviously," Hefer said. "So if there is insecurity, whether you can travel healthy, then it has a big impact on the short term travel and people tend to push out the travel to a later point in time."
To accommodate, Trivago has reduced its marketing spend and shifted it to a later time. Hefer said the company has worked with its marketing partners to alter their schedules even past a point where they can typically pull back spending.
Germany, and the European Union more broadly, are struggling to contain small outbreaks in the economic region known for its open borders.
"Things can change very quickly," he said. "Europe was pretty much isolated until last week. And then it all changed in the last seven days. So it's impossible to quantify [the financial impact on Trivago this quarter] and as a reason why, for the first time ever, we've not given any guidance."
However, the Düsseldorf-based company is treating the virus as a temporary setback, one that is unlikely to last for the next three to four quarters, Hefer said.
Elon Musk’s X unveiled a feature that lets users see where an account is based. Online sleuths and experts quickly found that many popular accounts, often posting in support of the U.S. MAGA movement with thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, are based outside the U.S. This raises concerns about foreign influence in U.S. politics.
The Enhanced Games is going public in two ways — with a new listing on the Nadsaq stock exchange and also by offering a direct-to-consumer business focused on performance products.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
Thanksgiving travel is set to smash records as millions fly, drive, and ride despite FAA disruptions and economic uncertainty. Here’s what you need to know.
AI, BNPL and new digital tools are reshaping holiday shopping. PayPal’s Michelle Gill shares survey insights, tech trends, and tips for smarter spending in 2025
'The Chair Company' blends sharp satire with workplace conspiracy. Lake Bell joins us to talk its corporate themes, quirky characters, and why viewers love it!
It's a tough time for the job market. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill. At the same time, some sizeable layoffs have continued to pile up — raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs due to U.S.'s new tariffs, while others have redirected money to artificial intelligence investments. Workers in the public sector have also been hit hard. Federal jobs were cut by the thousands earlier this year. And many workers are now going without pay as the U.S. government shutdown has now dragged on for more than a month.
