Traveltext.id

UNWTO: 2020 WAS THE WORST YEAR IN GLOBAL TOURISM HISTORY

THE coronavirus pandemic will have a devastating impact on international tourism in 2020, leading to a 74 percent drop in international arrivals, according to the United Nations (UNWTO) World Tourism Organization’s annual report published on Thursday.

The 2020 world tourism barometer shows that there were approximately one billion fewer international arrivals worldwide in the last year compared to 2019 as a result of travel restrictions imposed by nearly every country on Earth to try and control the pandemic.

UNWTO estimates that the drop in arrivals will result in a loss of US$1.3 trillion in revenue – 11 times the loss caused by the 2009 economic crisis, which has been described as “the worst year on history” for the sector.

The pandemic has hit all regions of the world, with the Asia and Pacific Region experiencing an 84% decrease in international tourist arrivals. The decline in the Middle East and Africa reached 75%. Europe recorded a 70% drop in international arrivals despite a slight recovery in the summer, while America saw a 69% drop.

According to UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said I warned that 2021 will also be a difficult year. While much has been done to enable safe international travel, we recognize that the crisis is far from over.

“Harmonizing, coordinating and digitizing risk reduction measures related to COVID-19 travel, including testing, tracking and vaccination, is an important foundation for promoting safe travel and preparing for tourism recovery once conditions permit,” Zurab Pololikashvili said.

The UNWTO expert panel also predicted mixed results for this year, with around 45% of respondents expecting an improvement, 25% expecting a similar performance and 30% expecting a worsening result. Most of the respondents said it would take between two and a half to four years for international tourism to return to 2019 levels. [antaranews/photo special]