Covid-19 Impact on tourism economy Coronavirus Threatens 2020 Int’l Tourist Arrivals by GTP editing team 6 March 2020 written by GTP editing team 6 March 2020 0 comments Share 0FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 27 The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Friday said it expects a decrease in international tourist arrivals and receipts in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In an announcement, the UNWTO said it has revised its 2020 prospects for international tourist arrivals to a negative growth between 1 and 3 percent, translating into an estimated loss of $30 to 50 billion in international tourism receipts. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the UNWTO predicted a positive growth of 3 to 4 percent for this year. Warning that the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak will be felt across the whole tourism value chain, the organization called on governments, international organizations and donor agencies to include tourism as a priority in recovery plans and actions. “The UNWTO calls for financial and political support for recovery measures aimed at tourism, and to include support for the sector in the wider recovery plans and actions of affected economies,” the organization said. The UNWTO reminded that public health measures for the COVID-19 need to be implemented in ways that minimize any unnecessary disruption to travel and trade. Since the start of the outbreak, UNWTO has been working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure this is the case. “The WHO continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks,” the UNWTO said. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili furthermore stressed that “small and medium sized enterprises make up around 80 percent of the tourism sector and are particularly exposed with millions of livelihoods across the world, including within vulnerable communities, relying on tourism”. The UNWTO’s first assessment expects that Asia and the Pacific will be the worst affected region, with an anticipated fall in arrivals of 9 to 12 percent. Estimates for other world regions are currently premature in view of the rapidly evolving situation. The UNWTO underlined that any estimate must be treated with caution and is likely to be updated. Join the 15,000+ travel executives who read our newsletter Follow GTP Headlines on Google News to keep up to date with all the latest on tourism and travel in Greece. Share 0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail GTP editing team This is the team byline for GTP. The copyrights for these articles are owned by GTP. They may not be redistributed without the permission of the owner. previous post Greece Sets Citizen Protection Plan for Summer Season next post Alitalia Suspends Flights from Milan Malpensa You may also like Greece’s Hotel Market Sees Major Investments Over Four Months 5 February 2025 Greek Tourism Ministry Monitors Santorini Situation as Seismic Activity Continues 5 February 2025 Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024, IATA Reports 5 February 2025 Greek PM Reassures Public About Santorini’s Ongoing Seismic Activity 5 February 2025 Milos: Ministry Suspends 5-star Hotel Construction Near Sarakiniko Beach 5 February 2025 ELIME and HELMEPA Join Forces for Safer, More Sustainable Greek Ports 5 February 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ