February is usually a boomtime for tourist operators across Victoria, but not this year.

Key points: The Victorian tourism industry has been hit hard by the bushfires and coronavirus-related ban on travellers from China

The Victorian tourism industry has been hit hard by the bushfires and coronavirus-related ban on travellers from China The flow of tourist buses to destinations such as Sovereign Hill, Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road and Puffing Billy has almost dried up

The flow of tourist buses to destinations such as Sovereign Hill, Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road and Puffing Billy has almost dried up A Victorian Tourism Industry Council survey has found 45 per cent of operators have cut hours or staff

Hit by a double whammy of bushfires and now a travel ban from China due to the coronavirus, Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) chief executive Felicia Mariani warns the industry is in "meltdown".

"This has been a horrific start to the new year — a new year that we will never forget in this industry," Ms Mariani said.

"We are past the crisis point, we are in meltdown."

Great Ocean Road business say customer service shifts have been cut back. ( ABC News )

Victoria's tourism is heavily reliant on Chinese visitors, which were banned by the Federal Government about a fortnight ago.

A survey sent out by VTIC since the outbreak found 45 per cent of operators had lost bookings, a further 30 per cent had also lost bookings from international markets beyond China, and 45 per cent of operators had cut hours or staff to rein in costs.

The big tourist hotspots outside Melbourne including Ballarat's Sovereign Hill, Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road and Puffing Billy have been hardest hit by the ban.

Sovereign Hill chief marketing officer Jennifer Ganske said the losses were still being tallied but estimated the number of summer tourists through the gold rush village was already down by about 14,000.

"Certainly it has had a massive impact on regional visitation," Ms Ganske said.

Small businesses hit hard

On the Surf Coast, the owner of the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, Leanne Neeland, said the flow of tourist buses stopping there had almost dried up.

The owners of the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery have had to cut back and redeploy staff. ( ABC News )

"We're lucky to get one bus [per day] and … it's often Europeans or locals on the buses," Ms Neeland said.

"It's almost 15 to 20 per cent of our visitors every day have stopped."

In response to the downturn, Ms Neeland said customer service shifts at her business had been cut back and staff had been redeployed to making chocolates.

Further down the coast, the financial pain is also being felt by seaside communities like Apollo Bay.

Small tourist buses are still arriving but the number of big coaches has dropped, from about 20 daily to just three.

"I just pray that it doesn't sort of go on for too much longer and we welcome back the Chinese visitors," Apollo Bay Bakery owner Sally Cannon said.

Apollo Bay Bakery owner Sally Cannon is concerned about how long the ban on Chinese visitors will last. ( ABC News: Scott Jewell )

Chinese tourists worth big dollars

China makes up 25 per cent of the tourism dollar nationally, but in Victoria that jumps to 39 per cent, with $3.4 billion coming from Chinese visitors.

Ms Mariani said China was worth more tourism dollars to Victoria than the next nine international markets combined.

"We have a lot of operators focus predominantly on the Chinese market, getting 50 to 60 per cent of their business from the Chinese market," the VTIC boss said.

"Many people will not recover from this. Even the stalwarts — this is bringing them to their knees."

Tourism councils across Australia have written to the Federal Government calling for urgent financial relief, similar to the recent bushfire-response package.

Some businesses 'not going to make it'

The VTIC is also warning of the knock-on effect to employment and the economy.

According to the council, more than 230,000 people are directly or indirectly employed in the tourism industry, with 92,000 in regional areas.

"It will take six to 12 months for people to really get back on their feet but some of them are likely not going to make it," Ms Mariani said.

The coronavirus is not just stopping Chinese travellers, but also making people from other countries think twice about visiting, including for business, according to Sofitel Melbourne on Collins general manager Clive Scott.

"I'd say across the hotel market in Melbourne, it's probably about 15 per cent down, that's everything from food to beverage and rooms," Mr Scott said.

He said capital cities would also need assistance from state and local governments to support their tourism sectors.