Global tourism loses US$1.3 TRILLION

The global tourism sector lost 1,300 billion dollars in 2020 as a result of restrictions on movement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced.

This number represents more than 11 times the loss recorded during the global economic crisis in 2009.

It is also pointed out that the arrival of tourists in the world dropped by 74% in 2020 compared to 2019.

There were a billion fewer international arrivals in tourist destinations around the world in 2020 than in the previous year due to an unprecedented drop in demand and widespread travel restrictions, said the organization whose headquarters are in Madrid.

The crisis has threatened between 100 million and 120 million direct jobs in tourism, many of which are in small and medium-sized companies.

Gradual vaccination against the coronavirus is expected to help restore consumer confidence and ease travel restrictions and slowly normalize travel this year.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says they are aware that the crisis is far from over. He points out that it is important to reduce the risks related to travel through testing, tracing and vaccine certificates in order to promote safe travel and recover the tourism sector, the organization’s website reports.

The latest survey of the panel of experts of this organization shows that expectations for 2021 are mixed. Almost half of the respondents, 45%, expect better prospects for tourism in 2021 compared to last year, while 25% believe that the situation will be similar, and 30% believe that the results will worsen in 2021.

Izvor: Beta

Foto: BIZLife