The World Tourism Organization revealed that world tourism recorded a sharp decline of 70 percent during the first eight months of 2020 compared to last year, due to the outbreak of the "Covid-19" epidemic.
According to the organization, the two months of the summer, which usually constitute an active tourist season in the northern hemisphere, were disastrous, as they witnessed a decline in the number of tourists by 81 percent in July, compared to the same month last year, and 79 percent in August. According to the organization, this collapse represents a 700 million decline in the number of tourists, and losses amounting to 730 billion dollars for the global tourism sector, more than eight times the losses recorded after the global financial crisis in 2009.
The organization indicated that the Asia-Pacific region, which was the first region to hit the outbreak, is the most affected (-79 %), followed by Africa and the Middle East (-69 %), Europe (-68 %) and the American continent (-65 %).
The organization estimates that the delegations of travelers will decrease by 70 percent compared to last year, and it does not expect the number of tourists to increase before the end of 2021. Indicating that the decline in tourism is due to the slow containment of the virus and the absence of a coordinated response between different countries to establish common protocols, as well as the deterioration of the economic context.
Source (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Newspaper, Edited)
