Tourism is the global economy ‘s biggest engine contributing 7% of foreign trade. Globally, tourism produces one in every ten workers, either directly or indirectly. The COVID-19 crisis has wreaked unparalleled impacts on jobs and firms in the tourism economy. Tourism has been one of the first industries heavily hit by COVID-19 containment initiatives, and is still in danger of being among the last to rebound owing to the current travel limits and the expected global recession. For millions of livelihoods, strong and organized intervention is required.
About 100 million direct tourism employment today are at risk, with the 60-80 percent decrease in foreign tourism expected for 2020 and a reduction of between US $910 billion and $1.2 billion in exports. In addition to this particular effect, the tourism economy is often correlated with several other industries , including manufacturing, production, and transport, both exacerbating the shock. The macroeconomic value of tourism has been shown by COVID-19 in most OECD and G20 economies. Many industries around the sector fail to thrive, having a disproportionate influence on women, teenagers, rural populations, native peoples and informal employees – most likely to be hired by micro or small tourist industries. This situation often poses a much more severe difficulty for low-income and emerging economies and their local populations, which rely excessively on tourism and thus face a serious danger of higher poverty.
The ongoing crisis has also revealed differences in preparedness and response capability between government and business. Economic initiatives at national and international level as well as improved cooperation across sectors and boundaries are desperately required to regain travelers and business trust, boost demand and speed up the recovery of tourism.
Turning crisis into opportunity: striving to make the tourism industry more competitive, multicultural and robust
This recession is an opportunity to revise the growth of tourism. The recovery must entail the transforming of the industry, the reinvention of tourism destinations and industries, the restoration of the tourism environment and the creativity and expenditure in sustainable tourism.
Tourism relies on activities, from fresh cuisine tastes, local landscape discovery and sights of historical interest. But it’s mostly people – whether they’re local guides, hotel suppliers or other service providers who make your travel unique or help you do business and enter global markets. As such, our collective approach must first and foremost carry citizens to the promise to leave no one behind. This recession can be an incentive to ensure a fairer allocation of the rewards of tourism and encourage the shift to a more carbon free and resilient tourism economy.
Solid and decisive steps to help millions of livelihoods on three fronts:
In order to reactivate travel, improved multilateral coordination and comprehensive assistance is crucial. The coordination and continuity of bilateral , regional and foreign travel regulations are the measures that will allow the tourist industry to restart securely, to speed up the economic recovery and to provide hope for millions of citizens. This involves rising protection and safety for passengers and staff and rendering cross-border journeys secure and durable. Enhancing global collaboration and continuing to development the influence of COVID-19 on travel and tourism and speed up the economic and social recovery is important. To back up and operate the tourism environment would take an organized and integrated solution. Tourism is already a core component of the Sustainable Development Agenda because of its cross-cutting existence, and it is also part of the UN’s socio-economic response to COVID-19.
Second, policymakers can address tourism recovery in a more inclusive way, incorporating in a realistic and actionable strategy for reinvigorating the tourism industry both levels of government, the private sector and civil society. The programs of tourism are interdependent. The sector’s fractured and varied existence enables it to cover different policy areas such as wellness, travel, climate, international relations and economic policy. All countries need to improve their cooperation structures to support companies, staff and destinations with sustainability as the guiding principle of recuperation, particularly those which are most fragile, such as SMEs. The private sector must also be actively engaged in the policy formulation to create a healthy and resilient tourism industry. It helps solve long-standing issues such as efficiency and control of services and avoids current concerns, including overcrowding and strain on urban facilities, the community and neighborhoods. Recovery strategies should strive to speed up digital change and the future shift to a low carbon economy.
Thirdly, we must turn tourism into transparency and inclusion. The tourism industry, whether by carbon gases, impacts on vulnerable natural and cultural ecosystems or impacts on host populations, may have a major environmental and social effect. Research reveals that pollution linked to tourism transport account for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The pandemic has shown a chance to make the interactions more diverse, ‘slower’ and real. We need to focus together on the future of tourism and the fragile ties between tourism and the climate. We need more technical investment, renewable infrastructure and value-added employment. This would contribute to a more prosperous, equitable and resilient field of tourism.
