The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is once again calling on governments across the globe to restart tourism in a responsible way as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a loss of about $195 billion in international tourism receipts over the first four months of 2020.
Fortunately, the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer shows that the industry is beginning to come back in some places, including destinations in the Northern Hemisphere.
In its latest report, the agency cites the gradual lifting of travel restrictions along with the creation of travel corridors in some countries, enhanced safety and hygiene protocols as well as the resumption of international flights as signs for optimism.
According to UNWTO data, COVID-19 travel restrictions resulted in a devastating 97 percent decline in international tourist arrivals for April, following a 55 percent drop in March.
Asia and the Pacific were hit hardest, with arrivals down 51 percent between January and April. Europe experienced the second-largest fall at 44 percent for that same period, followed by the Middle East (-40 percent), the Americas (-36 percent) and Africa (-35 percent).
“The sudden and massive fall in tourist numbers threatens jobs and economies. It is vital, therefore, that the restart of tourism is made a priority and managed responsibly, protecting the most vulnerable and with health and safety as the sector’s number one concern,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement. “Until tourism’s restart is underway everywhere, UNWTO again calls for strong support for the sector in order to protect jobs and businesses. We, therefore, welcome the steps undertaken by both the European Union and individual countries including France and Spain to support tourism economically and build the foundations for recovery.”
Last month, UNWTO laid out a trio of possible scenarios for the global tourism industry in 2020, forecasting the impact of potential declines in overall international tourist numbers of 58 percent to 78 percent depending on when travel restrictions are lifted.
UNWTO predicts that there could be between 850 million to 1.1 billion fewer international tourist arrivals resulting in $910 billion to $1.2 trillion in lost export revenues from tourism this year. Meanwhile, the agency estimates that anywhere from 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs are at risk.