The World Tourism Organization, WTO, published a study that shows improvements in the sector after the crisis generated by the pandemic. According to United Nations data about 54 million tourists crossed borders in July 2021
While the figure represents a drop of 67% compared to the same month in 2019, the study highlights that it is one of the strongest results since the inception of Covi-19.
Last year, during this period, 34 million international trips were recorded.
Although most destinations have shown some recovery, 2021 remains a challenging year for global tourism.
The study shows that the number of trips is 80% lower than in the first half of 2019, when the count exceeded 160 million.
Relaxation of restrictions for vaccinated travelers and progress in immunization against Covid-19, have contributed to raising consumer confidence and gradually restoring mobility.
The slight improvement was sustained by the reopening of different destinations for international travel, especially Europe and the Americas. In these regions, the reduction was close to 70%.
The Caribbean and other island destinations recorded the best performance, with values close to or even better than pre-pandemic levels.
The Asia Pacific regions, meanwhile, continue to suffer from the weakest results in the first half of this year, adding 95% fewer tourists compared to 2019. Most destinations in Asia remain closed to non-essential travel.
WTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said there is strong demand for international tourism as destinations have begun to welcome back visitors with "safety and responsibility."
However, it highlights that "the real revival of tourism, and the benefits it brings, remain awaited as there are inconsistent rules and irregular vaccination rates that continue to affect travel confidence."
According to the experts at the WTO the outlook for the last quarter of the year remains open.
While 53% believe that the period will be worse than expected, 31% of the experts expect the best results later in the year.
Almost half of the respondents believe that international tourism will return to pre-pandemic levels only in 2024, or later. Another 43% point to a recovery as early as 2023.
Source: UN News