Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, international tourism has been one of the most affected industries since the crisis began, and due to its link with many other activities, those damages could exceed this year four trillion dollars to the global economy.

A joint report presented by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) states that ‘international tourism and its closely linked sectors suffered an estimated loss of 2.4 trillion dollars in 2020, due to direct and indirect impacts of a steep drop in international tourist arrivals.’

The report recognizes that despite a strong rebound this year due to the progress on vaccination and countries reopening, this industry will register losses slightly lower than those of 2020. A rebound is expected in the second half of 2021, but the report still shows a loss of between 1.7 trillion dollars and 2.4 trillion dollars, compared to 2019 level.

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