UNWTO Called for Stronger Coordination to Restart Tourism and Announced That Tourist Arrivals Fell by 87% in January 2021...
Madrid, Spain, 31 March 2021 - The devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on global tourism continued into 2021, with new data showing an 87% decline in international tourist arrivals in January compared to 2020. As the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) continues to call for stronger coordination on travel protocols between countries to ensure tourism is restarted safely and to prevent another year of major losses for the sector, the outlook through the end of the year remains cautious.
Following a difficult 2020, global tourism experienced further setbacks at the start of the year as countries tightened travel restrictions in response to new virus outbreaks. According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, all world regions continued to experience major declines in tourist arrivals in the first month of the year. Mandatory testing, quarantines and, in some cases, the complete closure of borders prevented the resumption of international travel. In addition, the slower-than-expected pace of vaccination rollout and distribution further delayed the restart of tourism.
Asia and the Pacific (-96%), the region with the highest level of travel restrictions, recorded the largest decline in international arrivals in January.
Both Europe and Africa experienced an 85% decline in tourist arrivals, while the Middle East recorded an 84% decline. International arrivals to the Americas fell by 79% in January, following slightly better results in the last quarter of the year.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, “2020 was the worst year on record for tourism. Strong and urgent steps need to be taken internationally for a brighter 2021. The livelihoods and businesses of millions of people depend on it. Enhanced coordination between countries and harmonized travel and health protocols are crucial to restore confidence in tourism and to ensure that international travel can safely resume before the busy summer season in the northern hemisphere.”
With 32% of all global destinations completely closed to international tourists at the beginning of February, UNWTO predicts that the first few months of 2021 will be challenging for global tourism.
Based on current trends, UNWTO expects international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2021 to decline by approximately 85% compared to the same period in 2019. This would mean a loss of approximately 260 million international arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels. Looking ahead, UNWTO has identified two scenarios for 2021 that consider a possible recovery in international travel in the second half of the year. These are based on a number of factors, most importantly the large-scale lifting of travel restrictions, the success of vaccination programs, or the introduction of harmonized protocols such as the Digital Green Certificate planned by the European Commission.
The first scenario points to a recovery in July, which would result in a 65% increase in international arrivals for 2021 compared to the historic decline of 2020. In this case, arrivals would still be 55% below the levels recorded in 2019. The second scenario considers a potential recovery in September, leading to a 30% increase in arrivals compared to last year. Even so, this would be 67% below 2019 levels.
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