The places that need tourists back
Travel limitations are still stopping holidays across the world, but some economies rely on tourism more than others
THE coronavirus outbreak will mean the loss of billions in tourist spending worldwide.
The pandemic and the restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus will result in a contraction of the tourism sector by 20% to 30% globally in 2020, experts warn.
This would mean between five and seven years' worth of growth will be lost to Covid-19, the United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates.
However, according to VisitBritain, the UK scenario could be even worse.
The national tourism agency forecasts a drop of 54% this year compared to last year.
In 2019, overseas residents spent £28.4 billion on their 40.9 million visits to the UK, and
UK residents spent £62.3 billion on visits overseas 93.1 million times, Office for National Statistics figures show.
VisitBritain director Patricia Yates said: “The latest VisitBritain domestic tourism research, which looked at travel intentions this year, shows the majority of people surveyed who had planned a domestic holiday in Britain from July to September believe it is unlikely to go ahead.
“Those domestic summer holidays lost are not likely to be replaced with only a minority who have cancelled holidays looking to replace them, and these were most likely to be from October onwards and to rural and coastal destinations as well as country parks and other outdoor attractions.
“We are working across the industry and with the UK Government to ensure that tourism is able to recover as quickly as possible once restrictions are lifted.”
However, while in the UK travel and tourism accounted for 9% of GDP in 2019, some economies are nearly entirely reliant on the sector.
Last year, 35 countries across the globe relied on travel and tourism for at least 20% of their GDP, meaning that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will affect them the most especially the small island states.
According to Pamela CokeHamilton, the director of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development's division, small island developing states are most vulnerable not only because they are highly dependent on tourism, but also because any shock of such magnitude is difficult to manage for small economies.
Figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council show Antigua and Barbuda is the country that relies the most on tourists, with the sector accounting for 91% of the total GDP in 2019.
Aruba followed with 84%, while in Saint Lucia the percentage was 78%.