The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said international tourist arrivals fell by 97% in April, one of the most active months of tourism due to the Easter holidays.
The alarming numbers, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and border restriction measures taken by different countries, are preceded by a 55% fall in world tourism in March. In addition, between January and April of this year, international tourist arrivals declined by 44%, which amounted to a loss of US$ 195 billion.
Among those same months, the area that saw the largest decline in international tourist arrivals was Asia-Pacific (-51%), followed by Europe (-44%) Middle East (-40%). In fourth and fifth place are America (-
36%) Africa (-35%).
Reopening
In some European countries, such as Germany and France, they are experiencing a timid reopening of tourism, with the lifting of border restrictions on people from European Union member countries.
In this context, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that “it is vital that the restart of tourism is a priority and managed responsibly, protecting the most vulnerable and with health and safety as the main concern of the sector”.
“Until the overall reboot of tourism, UNWTO again called for strong support from the sector to protect jobs and businesses. We therefore welcome the steps taken by both the European Union and individual countries, including France and Spain, to support tourism economically and build the foundations for recovery,” pololikashvili adds.
Projection
In early May, UNWTO established three possible scenarios for the decline of international tourists by 2020. If travel restrictions are lifted in July, the arrival of tourists will have an annual variation of -58%, if it happens in September, the variation will be -70%. If it occurs in December, the discharge will be -78%.
UNWTO projects between 850 and 1.1 billion tourists less, a loss of between $910 billion and $1.2 trillion in export revenue from tourism, and between 100 to 120 million tourism-related jobs, at risk Since mid-May, UNWTO has also identified an increase in the number of destinations announcing measures to restart tourism , such as enhanced safety and hygiene measures and policies designed to promote domestic tourism.
