Global Tourism Down 70% In Eight Months

The latest data from the World Tourism Organisation shows 70 per cent fall in international arrivals in the first eight months of the year.

International arrivals for July plunged 81 per cent and 79 per cent in August according to data from the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

The drop in August represents 700 million fewer arrivals compared to the same period in 2019 and translates into a loss of $730bn in export revenues from international tourism.

The report titled ‘International tourism down 70 per cent as travel restrictions impacts all regions’, described the loss as “more than eight times the loss experienced on the back of the 2009 global economic and financial crisis.”

UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvil, said, “This unprecedented decline is having dramatic social and economic consequences, and puts millions of jobs and businesses at risk.”

“This underlines the urgent need to safely restart tourism, in a timely and coordinated manner.”

The report noted that all world regions recorded large declines in arrivals in the first eight months of the year.

The report said, “Asia and the Pacific, the first region to suffer from the impact of COVID-19, saw a 79 per cent decrease in arrivals, followed by Africa and the Middle East (both – 69 per cent), Europe (-68 per cent) and the Americas (-65 per cent).

“Following its gradual reopening of international borders, Europe recorded comparatively smaller declines in July and August (-72 per cent and -69 per cent respectively). The recovery was short-lived, however, as travel restrictions and advisories were reintroduced amid an increase in contagions.

“On the other side of the spectrum, Asia and the Pacific recorded the largest declines with -96 per cent in both months, reflecting the closure of borders in China and other major destinations in the region.”