The COVID-19 outbreak has delivered a huge blow to Shanghai's tourism industry, but new measures have been released to help businesses impacted by the epidemic, authorities announced on Thursday. The average occupancy rate of nearly 8,000 hotels in the city was just 14 percent during the Spring Festival holiday, when booking fees on about 450,000 rooms were refunded, the Shanghai Culture and Tourism Administration said. Since February 1, occupancy rates have fallen further to only 6 percent. About 45 percent of hotels across the city are closed or open only a limited number of floors to cut operating expenses, said Jin Lei, deputy director of the administration.