The collapse of international tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a loss of more than $4 trillion in global GDP over the years 2020 and 2021, a report published Wednesday by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development warned.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The report was presented jointly with the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
International tourism and the sectors that depend on it suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion in 2020 due to the direct and indirect impacts of a sharp drop in international travel.
A similar loss could occur this year, the report said, unless the tourism industry is revived through distributing vaccines on a global scale.
"The world needs a global vaccination effort that will protect workers, mitigate social damage and make strategic decisions about tourism, taking into account potential structural changes," Acting Secretary-General of UNCTAD Isabelle Durant said.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
As vaccination rates are uneven, with less than 1% of the population vaccinated in some countries and more than 60% in others, the report noted that tourist losses are greater in developing countries.
It presented three scenarios for 2021, the most optimistic of which predicts a 63% decrease in tourist arrivals on average.
According to the UNWTO, experts do not expect the industry to return to normal 2023, "or even later, the main obstacles being restrictions on travel, the slow containment of the virus, weak traveler confidence, and an unfavorable economic environment."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
