With several destinations easing their travel restrictions and with the global vaccination rollout advancing in many parts of the world, international tourism has seen signs of a rebound in June and July this year.
Based on the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, around 54 million tourists have crossed international borders only in July 2021, this way indicating a decrease of 67 per cent compared to the same month in 2019, but the highest since April 2020, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“There is clearly a strong demand for international tourism, and many destinations have started welcoming visitors back safely and responsibly. However, the true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said.
According to a press release issued today, October 4, by the World Tourism Organization, most destinations saw a moderate rebound in international travel during June and July compared to 2020. However, 2021 remains a challenging year for global tourism since international arrivals have been down by 80 per cent in the first six months of 2021 compared to 2019.
The travel and tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific had the weakest results in the period January to July, registering a 95 per cent decline in international arrivals compared to the pre-pandemic period. The second-largest decline was registered in the Middle East (-82 per cent), followed by Europe and Africa (-77 per cent).
On the other hand, the Americas saw a smaller decline (-68 per cent), with the Caribbean having the best performance among subregions all over the world.
In addition, some small European destinations had the best performance in June and July, with arrivals close to or exceeding the levels registered before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
The relaxation of travel restrictions for persons who have been fully vaccinated against the virus, together with the progress made in the rollout of the vaccines, helped to lift consumer confidence as well as restore safe mobility in Europe and other parts of the world.
Through the same press release, it has been revealed that even though some destinations continued to report weak tourism revenues during the first seven months of 2021, several other recorded improvements in June and July, and some even surpassed the earnings of 2019. Mexico is one of the countries that registered an increase of two per cent in June 2021 compared to 2019.
Regarding the situation that awaits in the next months or even years, the UNWTO Panel of Experts have suggested that better results will be seen by the end of the year.
“Almost half of all experts (45 per cent) continue to see international tourism returning to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while 43 per cent point to a recovery in 2023. In Europe, half of the respondents indicate this could happen in 2023,” the statement of UNWTO reads.
However, international tourism is not expected to make a complete comeback anytime soon if the vaccination rates do not increase.
