Decrease in tourist travel may reach 60-80%: UNWTO.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, there may be a decrease in the number of tourist travels in the world by about 60-80 percent, estimated associated with the United Nations, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Madrid.

A report shows that the pandemic had a significant impact on tourism in the first quarter of 2020. Compared to the same period last year, there was a 22 percent of reduction in traffic. The document provides for three possible scenarios for the global tourism industry this year. They depend on the elimination of pandemic restrictions by individual countries. The most optimistic version assumes a decrease in the number of travels made in the world by 58 percent, and according to the worst case scenario, it will decrease by 78 percent.

UNWTO experts point out that as a consequence of reduced tourist traffic, the number of people traveling abroad will drop by 0.85-1.1 billion. According to the authors of the report, this is to translate into a loss of export revenues of $0.9-1.2 trillion.

"The world is today fighting an unprecedented sanitary and economic crisis, and tourism is one of the most experienced sectors. Millions of jobs are under threat," Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary general, said.

The World Tourism Organization estimates that as a result of the crisis there will be 100-120 million people directly at risk of losing their jobs in 2020.

The UNWTO report shows that although positive phenomena in world tourism should be expected only from 2021, the improvement of the industry's situation in Asia and Oceania is expected in 2020.

(PAP)