December 18, 2020
1 min read

Int’l Tourist Arrivals To Fall 72%: UNWTO

The Madrid-based UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported that international tourist arrivals fell by 72 per cent during the first 10 months of 2020 due to the raging coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on Thursday, the UNWTO said that travel restrictions, low consumer confidence and the global fight to contain the spread of the pandemic led to 2020 being the worst year on record for international travelling, reports Xinhua news agency.

The first 10 months saw global destinations receive 900 million fewer international tourists than in the same period in 2019.

This represents a loss of $935 billions for the sector, 10 times more than in the 2009 economic crisis.

UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said that although the news of a vaccine has increased tourist confidence, there is still a long road to recovery.

“We must redouble our efforts to open borders safely while supporting tourism jobs and businesses,” Pololikashvili was quoted as saying in the report.

The UNWTO predicted that by the end of the year, world tourist numbers will have dropped to the levels of around 30 years ago, resulting in losses of around $1.1 trillion for the sector.

“A coordinated approach to easing and lifting travel restrictions is essential, provided it is safe to do so,” said Pololikashvili, while explaining the importance of having clear and consistent rules across countries.

The UN agency expected that tourism will start to recover in the second half of 2021, but it could take between two to four years for the numbers to return to the level of 2019.

Also Read: UK Calls For Int’l Inbound Tourism To Resume

Also Read: Turkey’s tourism to witness 70% plunge

Previous Story

4.2 Magnitude Earthquake Felt In Delhi

Next Story

Putin slams US for pulling out of key military deals

Latest from -Top News

Pak Army Chief Targets India Again

This is not the first time that Munir has indulged in loose talk, exhibiting conduct unbecoming an officer….reports Asian Lite News Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on

Yunus Must Be Treated Like Hasina, Warn Islamists

Islamist group made these warnings to the interim government, terming the women’s reform body proposals as “anti-Islamic…reports Asian Lite News The radical Islamist group in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, has issued a threat, stating

UN: Bring Pahalgam Terrorists to Justice

The members of the Security Council “stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable..reports Asian Lite News The Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist

Vatican Hosts Final Rites for Pope Francis

The Argentine-born pontiff, the first from Latin America, died less than a month after returning home from a prolonged five-week hospitalisation for double pneumonia….reports Asian Lite News In an outpouring of global
Go toTop