Travelling is the most exciting way to meet new people and see new places if the journey is free of illness, violence, and calamities. However, with the appropriate knowledge, the risk may be reduced or eliminated, and travel diaries can be filled with amazing memories. Epidemics and pandemics are two of the most terrifying news stories for travellers and planners. It may be difficult or impossible to avoid the sickness in such instances. Furthermore, not only the passengers but also the individuals they meet along the way are at risk.
In recent years the world was struck by a pandemic, COVID-19, and tourism was one of the world's most important markets. The travel industry has come to a halt as a result of the pandemic.
In this article, we will look at how the pandemic has been affecting the travel industry in a negative way and later about its recovery.
How the travel industry has been running at loss?
Travel and tourism represented 10% of global GDP and over 320 million jobs prior to Covid-19, making it one of the most important sectors of the global economy. The pandemic, which is the first of its kind in the globalization age, has put millions of jobs in the industry in jeopardy (United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, 2020).
The pandemic caused a 70% drop in international visitor visits between January and October 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 - see Figure 1. This was primarily due to people's unwillingness to spend money on flights or their inability to fly due to government limitations. According to these numbers, the UNWTO predicts a 70-75 per cent drop in international arrivals for the entire year of 2020. This would indicate that international tourism has recovered to levels not seen in about 30 years.
The most popular tourist spots have taken the brunt of the damage. Travel and tourism, for example, accounted for over 20% of Thailand's GDP in March 2020. According to one report, Thailand ranks fourth in the world among nations that have suffered the most tourism revenue losses as a result of Covid-19, behind the United States, Spain, and France (US Electronic System for Travel Authorization, 2021).
Tourism restrictions, commercial flights, hotel occupancy, industry earnings, and jobs are all factors to consider when considering the impact of the pandemic on the travel sector.
Tourism restrictions
A faster-than-expected spread of the vaccination around the world might improve confidence and boost global trade. A total of 217 nations have imposed some type of travel restriction since March 2020. Due to the failure to achieve a successful vaccine deployment, particularly in low and lower-middle-income nations, a generalized opening of the global market would not be conceivable before 2022. This would result in a 0.8 percent drop in global trade compared to the baseline. In this event, GDP growth is expected to be lower in all nations, particularly in those that lack enough doses, such as huge sections of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Commercial flights
The number of commercial flights has decreased as a result of the travel restrictions. Commercial flights had plummeted by 74 per cent and were down 41.7 per cent by the end of 2020 compared to 2019. Flight traffic has continued to follow seasonal patterns in the first half of 2021, while commercial flights are still significantly below 2019 levels.
Hotel occupancy
The travel limitations have also had a significant impact on hotels. The proportion of persons staying in hotels declined sharply across all areas. Europe now has the lowest hotel occupancy rate on a rolling seven-day average, with only 14% of available rooms occupied. The Middle East has the greatest occupancy rate (58.9%), followed by China (49.8%), and the United States (49.8%). (40.1 percent ).
Jobs are at risk
Over the last five years, the tourist industry has created one out of every four new employment in the world (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2020).
Globally, the total number of employment lost due to the pandemic is estimated to be 142.6 million in 2022, down nearly 40% from the previous year. According to the current UNWTO World Between 100 and 120 million direct tourist jobs are at risk as a result of the crisis, many of which are in small and medium-sized businesses.
Are there any chances for recovery?
Looking ahead, most experts believe that a return to pre-pandemic levels will not occur before 2023. In fact, 43% of respondents predict a return to 2019 levels in 2023 or later, while 41% predict a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later. International tourism could take two and a half to four years to return to 2019 levels, according to UNWTO's expanded scenarios for 2021-2024. Additionally, the announcement and implementation of vaccination are expected to boost consumer confidence and remove travel restrictions over time.
Author: Samrah Mohammed
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