The global vaccination rollout and increased adoption of digital solutions for safe travel should lead to a rise in international mobility over the weeks and months ahead, the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) indicates.
According to the newest edition of the Travel Restrictions Report from the United Nations specialized agency for tourism, as of 1 June, 29% of all destinations worldwide have their borders completely closed to international tourism. Of these, more than half have been completely closed to tourists for since May 2020 or longer, with the majority of these belonging to the Small Island Development States of Asia and the Pacific. In comparison, just three destinations (Albania, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic) are completely open to tourists, with no restrictions now in place.
Governments are instrumental for the restart and recovery of tourism through collaboration, use of data and digital solutions
One in three (34%) of all destinations are partially closed, and 36% request a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival, in some cases in combination with a requirement to quarantine. The data confirms the trend towards destinations adopting more nuanced, evidence-and-risk-based approaches to restrictions on travel, particularly in light of the evolving epidemiological situation and the emergence of new variants of the virus. Indeed, 42% of all destinations have introduced specific restrictions for visitors from destinations with variants of concern ranging from the suspension of flights and closing of borders to compulsory quarantine.
Additionally, since most of those destinations with the strictest measures have some of the lowest rates of vaccination, the data also indicates a link between vaccination speed and easing of restrictions. In comparison, those destinations that have higher rates of vaccination and where countries are able to work together on harmonized rules and protocols such as those being employed in the Schengen area of the European Union, are better-placed to allow tourism to slowly return.
“Governments are instrumental for the restart and recovery of tourism through collaboration, use of data and digital solutions”, says UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili:
Regional differences with regards to travel restrictions remain. 70% of all destinations in Asia and the Pacific are completely closed, compared with just 13% in Europe, as well as 20% in the Americas, 19% in Africa and 31% in the Middle East.
Assessing current requirements for vaccinated passengers, 17% of all destinations worldwide specifically mention vaccinated passengers in their regulations. In most cases, travel restrictions continue to apply to fully vaccinated passengers (who have received two doses of an approved vaccine), though in others, all restrictions are lifted. UNWTO expects that this will significantly evolve over the coming weeks.
The report indicates that the restart of global tourism will remain muted so long as governments continue to advise caution. Four of the 10 top source markets keep advising their citizens against non-essential travel abroad (these four generated 25% of all international arrivals in 2018).
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Visit Portugal and the city of Reguengos de Monsaraz announce dates for the 5th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism.
Following the success of the past four editions, the Conference will take place on 9-10 September 2021, in Reguengos de Monsaraz in the Alentejo region, in collaboration with the Government of Portugal.
Held under the theme ‘Wine Tourism – a driver for rural development’ in a hybrid format to welcome delegates from all around the world, the Conference will focus on the contribution of wine tourism to social and economic regional integration and its great potential to generate development opportunities in rural destinations.
I thank Portugal’s support to accelerate the recovery of the sector
UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili says: “It is now more important than ever to support wine tourism and I am confident that this event will represent a unique opportunity to share experiences that face up these challenging times and place the two sectors at the center of recovery, particularly for the benefit of rural communities. I thank Portugal’s support to accelerate the recovery of the sector.”
The Minister of State, Economy and Digital Transition, Pedro Siza Vieira, aims to position the country “As one of the top destinations in wine tourism, which is a main strategic asset for Portugal due to its ability to attract a highly qualified tourist with high purchasing power, allowing for multiple attraction anchors throughout the territory and throughout the year, thus contributing to territorial cohesion and reducing seasonality. Wine tourism’s development in central in the Recovery Plan (Reactivate Tourism | Build the Future) for the Tourism sector but the dynamization of this product also has a specific and dedicated action plan. The aforementioned Plan will contribute to the enhancement of wine tourism, wine itself and will be a very important contribution to creating more value and employment in these regions.
Mayor off the Municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, José Calixto, says: “Welcome everyone to one of the richest wine regions in Portugal! Reguengos de Monsaraz and Alentejo are a territory experienced and felt by Man for over 9,000 years. We are valued by a unique intangible heritage, very hospitable people, high quality wines that are part of our identity and several excellent wine tourism activities, allow unforgettable experiences. We would like to share them with you!”.
Since 2016, the Conference has highlighted the importance of wine tourism to the socio-economic development of destinations and has served as a platform to exchange experiences, identify good practices and promote wine tourism as a tool for sustainable development.
Economic losses are mounting in developing countries due to the absence of widespread COVID-19 vaccinations.
The crash in international tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic could cause a loss of more than $4 trillion to the global GDP for the years 2020 and 2021, according to an UNCTAD report published on 30 June.
The estimated loss has been caused by the pandemic’s direct impact on tourism and its ripple effect on other sectors closely linked to it.
The report, jointly presented with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), says international tourism and its closely linked sectors suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion in 2020 due to direct and indirect impacts of a steep drop in international tourist arrivals.
A similar loss may occur this year, the report warns, noting that the tourism sector’s recovery will largely depend on the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines globally.
“The world needs a global vaccination effort that will protect workers, mitigate adverse social effects and make strategic decisions regarding tourism, taking potential structural changes into account,” UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant said.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism’s safe restart is critical to the recovery of jobs and generation of much-needed resources, especially in developing countries, many of which are highly dependent on international tourism.”
With COVID-19 vaccinations being more pronounced in some countries than others, the report says, tourism losses are reduced in most developed countries but worsened in developing countries.
Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism’s safe restart is critical to the recovery of jobs and generation of much-needed resources, especially in developing countries, many of which are highly dependent on international tourism
COVID-19 vaccination rates are uneven across countries, ranging from below 1% of the population in some countries to above 60% in others.
According to the report, the asymmetric roll-out of vaccines magnifies the economic blow tourism has suffered in developing countries, as they could account for up to 60% of the global GDP losses.
The tourism sector is expected to recover faster in countries with high vaccination rates, such as France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, the report says.
But experts don’t expect a return to pre-COVID-19 international tourist arrival levels until 2023 or later, according to UNWTO.
The main barriers are travel restrictions, slow containment of the virus, low traveller confidence and a poor economic environment.
A rebound in international tourism is expected in the second half of this year, but the UNCTAD report still shows a loss of between $1.7 trillion and $2.4 trillion in 2021, compared with 2019 levels.
The results are based on simulations that capture the effects of international tourism reduction only, not policies such as economic stimulus programmes that may soften the pandemic’s impact on the sector.
The report assesses the economic effects of three possible scenarios – all reflecting reductions in international arrivals – in the tourism sector in 2021.
Source: UNCTAD based on GTAP simulations
The first one, projected by UNWTO, reflects a reduction of 75% in international tourist arrivals – the most pessimistic forecast – based on the tourist reductions observed in 2020.
In this scenario, a drop in global tourist receipts of $948 billion causes a loss in real GDP of $2.4 trillion, a two-and-a-half-fold increase. This ratio varies greatly across countries, from onefold to threefold or fourfold.
This is a multiplier and depends on the backward linkages in the tourism sector, including the unemployment of unskilled labour, according to the report.
For example, international tourism contributes about 5% of the GDP in Turkey and the country suffered a 69% fall in international tourists in 2020.
The country’s fall in tourism demand is estimated at $33 billion and this leads to losses in closely linked sectors such as food, beverages, retail trade, communications and transport.
Turkey’s total fall in output is $93 billion, about three times the initial shock. The decline in tourism alone contributes to a real GDP loss of about 9%. This decline in reality was partly offset by fiscal measures to stimulate the economy.
Source: UNCTAD based on GTAP simulations
The second scenario reflects a 63% reduction in international tourist arrivals, a less pessimistic forecast by UNWTO.
And the third scenario, formulated by UNCTAD, considers varying rates of domestic and regional tourism in 2021.
It assumes a 75% reduction of tourism in countries with low vaccination rates, and a 37% reduction in countries with relatively high vaccination rates, mostly developed countries and some smaller economies.
According to the report, the reduction in tourism causes a 5.5% rise in unemployment of unskilled labour on average, with a high variance of 0% to 15%, depending on the importance of tourism for the economy.
Labour accounts for around 30% of tourist services’ expenditure in both developed and developing economies. Entry barriers in the sector, which employs many women and young employees, are relatively low.
In July last year, UNCTAD estimated that a four- to 12-month standstill in international tourism would cost the global economy between $1.2 trillion and $3.3 trillion, including indirect costs.
But the losses are worse than previously expected, as even the worst-case scenario UNCTAD projected last year has turned out to be optimistic, with international travel still low more than 15 months after the pandemic started.
According to UNWTO, international tourist arrivals declined by about 1 billion or 73% between January and December 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer points to a decline of 84%.
Source: UNCTAD based on UNWTO
Developing countries have borne the biggest brunt of the pandemic’s impact on tourism. They suffered the largest reductions in tourist arrivals in 2020, estimated at between 60% and 80%.
The most-affected regions are North-East Asia, South-East Asia, Oceania, North Africa and South Asia, while the least-affected ones are North America, Western Europe and the Caribbean.
Sustainability, sharing experiences and their vision of the future of tourism – what do 12-18 year-olds think? The “Global Youth Tourism Summit” will welcome a selected group of children from around the world to look for the answers.
The 1st Global Youth Tourism Summit (23-25 August 2021, Sorrento, Italy) will be the first of this kind at the global level, allowing young participants to be part of a unique experience, aiming to promote youth engagement in the tourism sector and empower younger generations in driving a more sustainable world.
The summit is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism Italy and the Italian National Tourism Board, and has been placed by the Italian government in the framework of its G20 presidency this year.
With this initiative, UNWTO joins the rest of the UN family in actively recognizing the vital contribution of youth to the continued development of the societies.
“Children and youth are not only our future leaders, but important stakeholders of the present, and we can empower and involve them starting today”, says UNWTO SecretaryGeneral, Zurab Pololikashvili. "As the leaders of tomorrow, it is pivotal that young people become involved in shaping and the global vision for the future", he added.
Through a model UNWTO General Assembly, participants will adopt their own declaration on the future of tourism. The document will be presented at the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly (12-15 October 2021, Marrakesh, Morocco).
The event will include a range of interactive activities and also involve leading global personalities to share their experiences around tourism and areas such as sports, music, gastronomy, and the film industry.
The bulletin of UNWTO’s Affiliate Members from the tourism sector
Dear Affiliate Members,
I am pleased to share with you the Vol. 32 of our AM News Bulletin.
May has been the month of FITUR, the Madrid International Tourism Fair. Despite the challenges posed by the crisis, the organization of this big in-person event sent a clear message: the tourism sector is ready to restart.
At the UNWTO Affiliate Members Department we tried to make our participation as consistent as possible, by organizing several activities such as the Expert Meeting on Accessible Tourism, the Affiliate Members Corner, and the Panel of Experts on Screen Tourism in collaboration with Netflix. I am very proud of the level of participation and interest showed towards these events and I take this opportunity to thank all the organizations which supported us.
Now it is time to focus on the implementation of all the other projects and initiatives included in our Programme of Work. As you know, we are making great progress in the process of reform of the legal framework of the Affiliate Members, which is a priority as it will enable us to provide better services and add value to the membership.
Furthermore, we continue developing the activities of our Working Groups. In particular, I refer to the WG on Accessible Tourism, whose main outcome, the publication “Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development in Nature Areas” is now available in the UNWTO E-Library, and the WG on Scientific Tourism, which is advancing towards the organization of the 1st International Conference on Astrotourism that will take place in Evora (Portugal) from 8-11 of September.
We are also finalizing a global report on Screen Tourism and Cultural Affinity in collaboration with Netflix, as part of our commitment towards the priority line of action Tourism and Audiovisual industry. It will be soon available in our E-Library.
Lastly, we are working on the organization of two important events: the Platino Awards Gala “17 Awards, 17 SDGs”, in collaboration with EGEDA, that will be held in Madrid from 27 September – 2 October, and the World Sports Tourism Congress with the Catalan Tourism Board, that will be celebrated in Lloret de Mar the 25-26 of November.
In this respect, I would like to encourage you to visit our AMConnected platform regularly to find the latest updates and information on these and other activities of the Affiliate Members Department. As always, I am at your disposal and look forward to hearing any comments you might have.
Yours sincerely,
Ion Vilcu
