Mar 17, 2020 - Health

In photos: Top destinations before and after coronavirus outbreak

The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photos: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images; Stephane Cardinale-Corbis via Getty Images

The U.S. travel and tourism sector is set for a drop of 6 million international visitors because of the novel coronavirus, costing $19 billion in spending this year, per a report by Tourism Economics. "The present declines appear likely to be worse than what the US experienced in 2003 [after the SARS outbreak]," the report states.

The big picture: The global outlook is just as bleak. The report was released on March 11, two days after Italy announced a nationwide lockdown after a surge in cases. Since then, several countries have followed suit, European travelers face U.S. travel restrictions and the CDC has recommended gatherings of 50 or more people be postponed or canceled for eight weeks. The outbreak's impact is evident at many top travel destinations, where once-bustling hubs have been transformed into virtual ghost towns.

New York City's Times Square. Photos: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; George Rose/Getty Images

A view of San Giorgio Maggiore from Piazza San Marco in Venice. Photos: Giacomo Cosua/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Ricardo Ribas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca. Photos: Bandar Aldandani/AFP via Getty Images; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Tiananmen Gate in Beijing. Photos: Steven Saphore/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

The London Eye in London, England. Photos: Carl Court/Getty Images; Rick Findler/PA Images via Getty Images

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, which closed this week. Photos: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

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