World tourism faces worst crisis since records began, says UNWTO
2020-05-08 09:33:25 source：The Guardian
May 7, 2020
International tourism faces its worst crisis since records began, with up to 1.1bn fewer people taking trips globally in 2020. The scale of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact is outlined in a report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which predicts a decline in international arrivals of between 58% and 80% this year.
This is due to widespread travel restrictions and the closure of airports and borders worldwide. The prediction of a 58% decline is based on the gradual reopening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions in early July; the 80% figure is based on early December.
Globally, the crisis threatens the livelihood of up to 120 million people who directly rely on tourism for work - and millions more indirectly – while representing a financial loss in export revenues from tourism of between £736bn and £971bn. The predictions are based on UNWTO figures for the first three months of this year, which show a worldwide decline in international arrivals of 22%. Following the start of the lockdown in many countries, arrivals dropped by 57% for March alone.
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