International tourist arrivals worldwide should not recover their pre-pandemic levels before 2024, according to a barometer published this Tuesday by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which foresees a start of 2022 conditioned by the omicron variant.
According to the Madrid-based United Nations agency, the number of international arrivals increased by 4% in the world last year compared to 2020, but remained 72% lower than in 2019, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 19.
“The pace of recovery remains slow and uneven across world regions, due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates and traveler confidence”, the UNWTO explained in a statement.
In Europe and the Americas, foreign visitor arrivals increased by 19% and 17%, respectively, over the previous year.
In the Middle East, they fell by 24%, while in Asia-Pacific, they fell by as much as 65%, and are still 94% lower than in 2019.
By 2022, experts from the IN ORDER TO look at prospects more “favorable”, although there is still an increase in cases due to the appearance of the more contagious omicron variant, “they will disturb the recovery” at the beggining of the year.
International tourist arrivals should rise from “30% a 78%” compared to 2021, although they will continue to be lower than 2019. According to a majority of experts, the return to pre-pandemic levels will only be seen in “2024 or later”.
The takeoff of international tourism is eagerly awaited by professionals in the sector, as well as by many countries whose economy has been hit by the pandemic.
According to the UNWTO, the “economic contribution of tourism” in 2021 worldwide was $1.9 trillion, well below the $3.5 trillion in 2019.
.
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
