International tourism arrivals are likely to stagnate this year, except in some western markets, causing losses of up to $ 2.4 trillion U.N. The study said on Wednesday, adding that the sector is unlikely to fully recover until 2023.

COVID-19 vaccinations and certificates are key to restoring confidence in overseas tourism, which is a lifeline for many countries, especially small island nations that rely heavily on the sector to create jobs, it said. In 2020, international arrivals plummeted 73% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to the report from. in tourism and related sectors resulted in estimated losses of $ 2.4 trillion UNCTAD and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“The prospects for this year do not look much better,” said Ralf Peters from the trade analysis department of UNCTAD at a press conference. “The first three months were bad again, there wasn’t much on the way,” he said.

“A certain recovery can be expected in the second half of the year, at least for North America and Europe to some extent, “he told Reuters, counting vaccinations. The report presents three scenarios for 2021 and shows that international tourism arrivals will decrease 63% to 75% from pre-pandemic levels, causing losses between $ 1.7 trillion and $ 2.4 trillion.

“In international tourism we are at the level of 30 years ago, so basically we are in the 80s … Many livelihoods are really threatened,” said Zoritsa Urosevic. Geneva Representative of the Madrid-based UNWTO. “What we’re aiming for in the long run is to get the 2019 numbers after 2023,” she said.

Sandra Carvao, Head of Market Research at UNWTO, said it would be a “very diverse recovery” that varies by region and country. The European The Union’s digital COVID-19 certificate, due to come into force on Thursday, is the only regional harmonization so far, she said.

Carvao said of travel corridors: “We see for example Asia Pacific is currently still one of the most closed regions in the world – most of the borders in the countries are either completely closed or have significant restrictions. ”

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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