Before COVID happened, travel and tourism were among the most popular industries globally, which helped many countries thrive and make a steady income. However, once the pandemic took place, most tourist-dependent economies faced a significant financial crisis and were most harmed. Once the global lockdown, travel restrictions, and curfew took place, the losses faced by the tourism industry started to become evident.
How Did the Pandemic Impact the Tourism Industry Worldwide?
At the start of 2020, the global revenue from the travel and tourism industry was predicted to be at 711.94 billion US dollars. Once the pandemic took over, the prediction faced a 20% decrease and plummeted to 568.6 billion US dollars. Moreover, Europe witnessed the highest amount of decline in tourism which had never happened before. According to statistics, the tourism industry’s revenue in Europe was predicted at 211.97 billion US dollars in 2019, and it fell to 124 billion US dollars in 2020.
Which Countries Faced the Highest Tourism Loss During the Pandemic?
According to the statistics provided by, World Travel and Tourism Council, 15 countries faced a considerable loss when the travel industry shut down. These economies contributed a lot to the travel industry in 2019, and similar predictions were made for 2020. Mexico and Spain topped the list as both countries contributed 15.5% and 14.3% respectively to the travel industry in 2019.
Furthermore, the list includes other countries such as Italy, China, Australia, and Germany. India, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and Canada also made it to the list, contributing less than 10% to the tourism industry in 2019.
How Long Will the Impact of The Pandemic Last on The Tourism Industry?
The global pandemic has so far put 100 million jobs at risk, and the chances are that the crisis will last a little longer for the tourism industry when compared to others. This is because tourism isn’t a necessity for most people, and they will only be willing to travel again if they feel entirely safe about the situation. It is expected that tourism will not completely recover until mid of 2022 or 2023, as there are still countries that have certain restrictions of allowing tourists from other countries. An example of this includes the red list that the United Kingdom introduced.
As 2021 is about to end and things are starting to get back to normal, the tourism industry still has a long way to go. Many tourism-dependent countries are coming up with protocols and procedures to make people feel safe and regain people’s confidence after the pandemic.
As COVID cases are still hitting people, the future of the tourism industry remains highly unpredictable for the next two years. Some countries are trying to recover from the pandemic losses and getting back on track to cover the economic losses that they have faced.