UNWTO - Confidence Slowly Rising as Tourist Numbers Fall by 83%...

Madrid, Spain, 2 June 2021 - International tourist arrivals fell by 83% in the first quarter of 2021 as widespread travel restrictions remained in place. However, the UNWTO Confidence Index shows signs of a slow rise in confidence. Between January and March 2021, destinations around the world received 180 million fewer international tourists compared to the first quarter of last year. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the lowest levels, with a 94% decline in international arrivals during the quarter. Europe recorded the second-largest decline at -83%, followed by Africa (-81%), the Middle East (-78%) and the Americas (-71%). All of this follows the 73% decline in international tourist arrivals recorded worldwide in 2020, making this the worst year on record for the sector.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “There is significant pent-up demand, and we are seeing confidence slowly returning. Vaccines will be key to recovery, but if we want to see a recovery for the summer season in the northern hemisphere, we must improve coordination and communication while making testing easier and more affordable.”

The latest survey of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts shows that expectations have improved slightly for the May-August period. In addition, policies aimed at safely restarting tourism, most notably the EU Digital Green Certificate, as well as the pace of vaccination in some key source markets, have raised hopes of recovery in some of these markets. Overall, 60% of respondents expect a recovery in international tourism only in 2022. The remaining 40% see a potential recovery in 2021, although this is slightly lower than the percentage in January. Tourism experts point to the continued application of travel restrictions and the lack of coordination in travel and health protocols as the biggest obstacle to the sector's recovery.

The Impact of COVID on Tourism reduces global exports worldwide by 4% The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer also shows the economic toll of the pandemic.

In 2020, international tourism revenues fell by 64% in real terms (local currencies, constant prices), equivalent to a decline of over 900 billion US dollars, reducing total worldwide export value in 2020 by more than 4%. The total loss in export revenues from international tourism (including passenger transport) amounts to approximately 1.1 trillion US Dollars. Asia and the Pacific (70% in real terms) and the Middle East (-69%) experienced the largest declines in revenues.

Source: https://www.unwto.org/news/tourist-numbers-down-83-but-confidence-slowly-rising