Sluggish coronavirus vaccination campaigns in many countries are hampering rapid tourism recovery in many regions.
Poor countries are particularly affected, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported in Geneva.
Last year, the direct and indirect effects of the tourism downturn led to a decline in gross domestic product – the production of goods and services after deducting all intermediate costs – by about $ 2.4 trillion globally, according to the report.
According to UNWTO, the number of tourists traveling abroad was about a billion less than a year earlier, or 73% less. Compared to 2019, there are also fears of a $ 1.7 trillion to $ 2.4 trillion deficit this year, especially if vaccination rates in low-income countries do not rise rapidly.
Accordingly, these countries have been hit hardest, while tourism recovery has been faster in wealthy countries with high vaccination rates such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, according to the organizations, international tourism is likely to return to pre-pandemic levels no earlier than 2023. Many countries have yet to lift travel restrictions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) talks about vaccination nationalism in wealthy countries and moral failure. Some governments bought up most of the scarce vaccine instead of joining the worldwide solidarity distribution.
While in some places young, healthy people are already vaccinated, in other countries nurses risk their lives every day caring for coronavirus patients without being vaccinated themselves.