Global Tourism Losses Amount to $450 BillionThe global tourism sector lost about $460 billion in the first half of 2020 due to the drop in international travel worldwide caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the UN World Tourism Organization reported on September 15. "The massive drop in international travel demand over the period January-June 2020 translates into a loss of 440 million international arrivals and about U.S.$460 billion in export revenues from international tourism. This is around five times the loss in international tourism receipts recorded in 2009 amid the global economic and financial crisis," the UN agency said. According to the organization, international tourist arrivals dropped by 65 per cent during the first half of the year as countries started to introduce travel restrictions and closed borders in an effort to contain the infection. Asia and the Pacific, the first region to feel the impact of COVID-19 on tourism, was the hardest hit, with a 72 per cent fall in tourists for the six-month period. Europe was the second region hit, with a decline of 66 per cent. Africa and the Middle East both suffered declines of 57 per cent and the Americas had a decline of 55 per cent. Canada's tourism industry has been greatly affected by the pandemic. While the UN agency did not provide country-specific data, news reports provide some information. Automobile arrivals from the U.S. into Canada decreased by 96 per cent compared to last year, after five months of closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential travel. Tourism spending in Canada fell 14.2 per cent while employment in the tourism industry fell by 6.5 per cent. (TASS, nouvelle.news)
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