04-02-2021 | 12:23 PM
UNWTO: Year 2020 the worst year on record
Context
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) World Tourism Barometer, the year 2020 the worst year on record as global tourism suffered due to restrictions on travelling during the pandemic.
Key Highlights
The UNWTO has made this statement in the light that global tourism has suffered massively because of the international travel bans which was into force in order to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the report, international arrivals have dropped by 74%.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues. This loss in the export revenues is more than 11 times the loss which occurred during the global economic crisis in 2009.
The report stated that Covid-19 crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk.
The international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This resulted in 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions.
On the regional front
Asia and the Pacific region recorded the largest decrease of -84% in arrivals in 2020 (300 million fewer).
The Middle East and Africa both recorded a decline of 75%.
Europe recorded a 70% fall in arrivals.
The America saw a 69% decrease in international arrivals, following slightly better results in the last quarter of the year.
About UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
UNWTO is the United Nations specialized agency.
It is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.
UNWTO is the leading international organization in the field of tourism. It promotes the tourism as a driver of economic growth.
UNWTO is involved in the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and the agency serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues.
