MADRID – International Travel To Decrease By 30 Percent. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), on Friday, said that International travel will likely fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. This would effectively put millions of jobs in tourism sector at risk.
According to details, the drop in arrivals will lead to an estimated loss of $300-450 billion in international tourism receipts. This will be almost one third of the $1.5 trillion of 2019. The UNWTO also said that small and medium-sized businesses make up around 80 percent of the tourism sector.
Governments around the world have restricted travel as they scramble to contain the spread of the disease. It has claimed over 23,000 lives worldwide since it first emerged in China late last year. More than three billion people around the world are currently living under lockdown measures.
International Travel To Decrease By 30 Percent.
Major cultural events and business conferences have been called off to limit contact between people. Meanwhile, airlines have drastically cut back the number of flights they offer. By comparison international tourism arrivals declined by 4.0 percent in 2009 during the global economic crisis.
International tourism arrivals rose by 4.0 percent in 2019 to 1.5 billion. With France the world’s most visited nation, followed by Spain and the United States. The last time international tourist arrivals posted an annual decline was 2009 when the global economic crisis hit the travel sector hard.
The tourism industry accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s GDP and jobs.