The global tourism sector lost $ 1,300 billion in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Arabiya Net, the World Tourism Organization announced that this number represents 11 times more losses than those recorded during the global economic crisis in 2009 and translates into a decline in the flow of tourists in the world By 74% compared to 2019.
The organization declared that 2020 was the worst year in the history of tourism, with the number of tourists in the world falling by one billion people compared to 2019.
During the 2008-2009 crisis, the number of visitors decreased by only 4%.
According to experts in the organization, 100 to 120 million direct jobs are threatened in tourism, many of them in small and medium-sized companies.
and pointed out that the prospects for improving tourism in the world in 2021 are declining, considering that global tourism will need two and a half to four years to return to 2019 levels.
The statement quoted the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Polulikshvili, as saying, "We are fully aware that the crisis will not end soon.
"
He added, coordination and digitization of measures to reduce risks associated with COVID-19 in terms of travel, especially infection detection checks, tracing the injured and vaccination certificates, are essential to promoting safe travel and preparing for tourism recovery when conditions permit So.
Asia-Pacific is the region with the largest decline in the number of tourists in 2020 (-84% within a year) because it was the first to be affected by the epidemic and is still currently imposing restrictions Most rigorous on travel.
As for Europe, the decline was recorded at 70% within a year, but the continent witnessed the largest decline in terms of numbers, as it lost 500 million visitors.
The Middle East and Africa region recorded a 75% decrease and the Americas 69%.
