The travel industry is asking Australians to reconsider cancelling trips towards the end of the year as the impact of coronavirus threatens to cripple the industry.

Countries around the world have closed their borders and Australians have been advised to cancel all unnecessary overseas travel.

But Australian Federation of Travel Agents CEO Jayson Westbury tells Alan Jones the airline industry cannot afford such a disruption.

“The impact on the travel industry is not devasting it is catastrophic, indiscriminate, and we are, as an industry, on the brink of complete and total collapse.

“Nobody warned us… that we were going to go into this level of a global shutdown.

“I think we’ve got a civil war on common sense… this place has gone mad.”

Mr Westbury pleads with people to not cancel trips booked towards the end of the year.

“Perhaps, now is not the time to be asking for a refund for your holiday you’ve booked in Christmas or even next year, let’s hope it gets resolved.”

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Image: Getty/Bruce Bennett