The global tourism sector lost $1.3 trillion in revenue in 2020 as international travel arrivals fell by 74%, even though the first two months of the year saw ‘normal’ business, according to the UN’s World Tourism Organization.
According to WTO, a hundred million to two hundred million jobs are at risk as the historic drop continues. The report said this year’s loss was “more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.” Last year’s drop came after a year that saw a four percent rise in arrivals.
WTO head Zurab Pololikashvili says that most experts don’t expect a return to pre-pandemic levels before about 2023, even though the advent of vaccines gives hope for change. His statement reminded that “While much has been made in making safe international travel a possibility, we are aware that the crisis is far from over.”
Photo: Jonathan Lessuck
