The tourism sector does not really benefit from these annual festivities. Travel restrictions, restaurants and bars closed in several countries, ski lifts also quiet in France. Not enough to compensate for a year to be crossed by the calendar of professional tourists. LeCovid-19 caused a descent into hell.
From January to October 2020, global tourism suffered a loss ten times greater than during the financial crisis in 2009. This is the finding of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). During the same period, it recorded a 70% decline in international tourism, equivalent to a $ 935 billion loss in exports.
The consequences for employment and total wealth are enormous. In November, the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted that the crisis could cause 174 million jobs to be lost worldwide this year.
During the year as a whole, the UNWTO expects a billion fewer tourists to travel abroad. A step back 30 years. This could result in a $ 2 trillion loss in global GDP.
Share of exports
The decline in international tourism is strong everywhere. For example, it fell by 69% in Africa, barely less in Europe and America, 82% in the Asia-Pacific region during the first ten months of the year.
But the risk is greater for some states. Tourism occupies a predominant place in the exports of certain African countries and small island developing countries, the UN warned in August. International tourism revenue, for example, accounts for 67% of Cape Verde’s total exports, barely less for Sao Tome and Principe. It exceeds 30% of exports from Haiti and Mauritius. The sector is therefore a supplier of foreign currency to these countries.
Beyond that, it can be a lever for infrastructure development. However, the UN has estimated that travel-related projects will be among the biggest victims of the decline in foreign direct investment this year and next.
Airlines hit hard on this crisis
“A devastating and relentless crisis,” summed up Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of Iata. According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines are expected to have carried 2.7 billion fewer passengers by 2020 compared to last year, an estimated loss of nearly $ 118.5 billion by 2020. And accounts are still expected to fall in red next year despite hopes to rebound; a year 2021 that some companies could not wait for. More than forty of them have already gone bankrupt, according to Iata.
Nature and cultural heritage
And the consequences of the decline in tourism go beyond the economic losses of companies with impact on heritage or sometimes on nature.
In France, for example, historical monuments show a loss of more than 50% of their turnover. Despite an increase in the budget from the Ministry of Culture, the online ticket company Patrivia believes that there will be irreversible consequences. So the Château de Chantilly, usually popular with Chinese tourists, launched another campaign online donation to “save the domain”.
The epidemic is also affecting animal tourism. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) emphasizes the positive aspect of less pressure from visits to the ecosystem. But the downside is that a drop in tourist income combined with health measures lowered surveillance and increased the risk of poaching.
Apartment
However, the year 2021 promises to be still difficult. The WTO predicts a rebound in international tourism next year, mainly in the second half of the year. Nevertheless, a return to 2019 levels can take between two and a half and four years. Iata expects 2.8 billion passengers against 4.5 billion in 2019.
To facilitate recovery while each state imposes different rules, airlines require a generalization of the tests. The Airline Association is also developing an application for a digital health pass.
The resuscitation could be an option. The UN sees this crisis as an opportunity to reconsider tourism. Towards greater compatibility with the goals of sustainable development. At present, tourist transport accounts for around 5% of greenhouse gas emissions
