UNWTO Forecast: International Tourism May Lose Incomes of 250-400 billion USD in 2020
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the international tourism is expected to lose 250-400 billion USD, the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) reports, as noted by Beka Jakeli, UNWTO coordinator for communication with member countries.
“We have heavy situation that worsens everyday. Today, 72 countries have closed borders for citizens of China and other countries, where coronavirus spread was registered. Over the past 1 week, 38 countries introduced strict travel regulations. We cannot make clear forecasts. Two weeks ago, we supposed that in 2020 the tourism flows would decline by 1-3%, instead of 3-4% growth. Today, the situation has worsened so much that we expect 20%-30% slowdown and this signifies the global tourism industry will lose about 250-400 billion USD”, Beka Jakeli noted.
Based on the UNWTO forecasts, the pandemic will rage about 3-4 months in the world, however, it is untimely to make definite forecasts, because the situation changes every second, Beka Jakeli noted.
We inform you that in 2019 the international tourism industry incomes made up 1.5 trillion USD.