Asian airlines fall on fear Paris attacks will curb tourism

Shares of airline operators across Asia tumbled on worries that the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris will deter tourists from traveling to the French capital.

Eva Airways Corp. of Taiwan was down 7.8 percent at NT$17.05 as of 9:51 a.m. local time, while China Southern Airlines Co. dropped 4.8 percent in Hong Kong to HK$5.78.

China Eastern Airlines Corp. and Hainan Airlines Co. fell a much as 4.7 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, while Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. was down 2 percent.

"There will definitely be a negative psychological impact in the short term in tourism-related sectors. Airlines are particularly affected," said Zhang Qi, a Shanghai-based analyst with Haitong Securities Co.

The situation in France is "still quite uncertain now, so investors seem to be broadly risk-off today."

The negative impact on China-to-France tourism will last as long as a year, with many tourists likely to cancel or change trips to France and Europe generally, China International Capital Corp Ltd. said in a note.

Hana Tour Service Inc., South Korea’s biggest travel agent, said it has been receiving plenty of inquiries from customers but didn’t see cancellations over the weekend.

Some clients have had to change their itineraries in Paris as museums and other tourist attractions have either been closed or had limited access, the agency said.