UNWTO: 2020 is the worst year in the history of world tourism

Revenue of $1.3 trillion from tourism exports is the loss that the global tourism industry will suffer in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is 11 times greater than the damage recorded during the global economic crisis in 2009, making 2020 recorded by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the worst year in the country’s history. . . travel the world.

According to the latest UNWTO statistics released on January 28, the global tourism industry in 2020 suffered a record loss in history with a 74% decrease in international arrivals. In 2020, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted governments and authorities around the world to impose unprecedented travel restrictions to stem the spread of the deadly pandemic that has caused Destinations globally lost 1 billion international arrivals compared to 2019.

The travel crisis caused by Covid-19 has also put 100 to 120 million direct jobs in the tourism industry at risk, mainly in small and medium enterprises.

Due to the complicated development of the pandemic, many countries are now re-imposing stricter travel restrictions. These measures include mandatory checks, quarantines and in some cases the complete closure of borders. All these measures burden the resumption of international travel.

According to the UNWTO Tourism Barometer, the number of international arrivals has decreased quite evenly across regions of the world.

Asia-Pacific, the first region affected by the pandemic and the region with the highest level of travel restrictions today, recorded the largest drop in visitor arrivals in 2020, at 84% when there were just under 300 million visitors. The Middle East and Africa both recorded a 75% drop in tourist arrivals.

Europe recorded a 70% drop in tourist arrivals, albeit with a small and brief resurgence in summer 2020. The Americas saw a 69% drop in international arrivals thanks to better international arrivals in the quarter. end of the year.

However, the UNWTO report also said that the development of a Covid-19 vaccine is expected to help restore consumer confidence, contribute to easing travel restrictions and gradually normalizing travel. . . in the next year.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Despite efforts to facilitate safe travel globally, we recognize that the crisis is not over. Collaborating, coordinating and digitizing travel measures to reduce the risks posed by Covid-19 to tourism, including testing, traceability and vaccination certification, are essential foundations for promoting tourism. push tourism. safely schedule and prepare for the return trip when possible”.

Cautious recovery outlook

The latest survey by the UNWTO Panel of Experts shows a mixed outlook for 2021. Nearly half of respondents (45%) expect the global tourism industry to have a better outlook in 2021, in when 25% of people think the tourism situation in 2021 is the same as in 2020 and 30% predict that the situation will get worse in 2021.

Meanwhile, the forecast for the recovery of the tourism industry in 2021 is not very positive. 50% of respondents expect a recovery to happen only in 2022. While in the October 2020 survey, 21% of respondents expect tourism to recover in 2022. Half of the respondents respondents still see potential for a recovery in 2021, albeit below expectations expressed in the October 2020 survey (79% of respondents expect a recovery in 2021).

Looking further ahead, most travel experts believe that the global tourism industry cannot return to pre-pandemic (2019) levels before 2023. In fact, 43% of respondents believe that tourism worldwide Demand will recover to 2019 levels in 2023, while 41% expect the tourism industry to return to 2019 levels only in 2024 or later.

UNWTO’s expanded scenarios for 2021-2024 indicate that it could take between two and a half to four years for international tourism to return to 2019 levels.

Notably, as tourism restarts, the UNWTO Expert Panel forecasts an increasing demand for nature and outdoor tourism activities, including domestic tourism and “slow travel” experiences. . will receive more and more attention.