New economic data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals that “174 million travel and tourism jobs could be lost in 2020 if barriers to global travel remain in place.”
The data analyzes the impact of local and global travel restrictions on the travel and tourism sector as a result of COVID-19.
According to WTTC, if current international travel restrictions persist through the end of 2020, the industry can expect a limited recovery and the loss of 174 million travel jobs.
The sector’s recovery will be delayed even further, with more jobs lost, unless quarantines are replaced with rapid, cost-effective testing at airports on departure and air corridors.
In June, WTTC initially predicted the loss of 197 million jobs, but the return of domestic travel in countries such as China has helped protect some of the tourism workforce.
WTTC praises China’s domestic travel return, citing the success of health protocols, comprehensive testing and contract tracing.
WTTC also points out that if current travel restrictions are removed sooner, up to 31 million jobs could be saved by the end of 2020. WTTC warns against prolonging travel restrictions, which “could eliminate $4.7 trillion in the sector’s contribution to global GDP, equating to a loss of 53% compared to 2019.”
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC, calls upon the global travel industry to work together to resume international travel safely.
“The sector’s recovery will be delayed even further, with more jobs lost, unless quarantines are replaced with rapid, cost-effective testing at airports on departure and air corridors,” Guevara said. “The longer we wait, the more the ailing travel and tourism sector faces total collapse.”
Earlier in October at the G-20 meeting in Saudi Arabia, WTTC presented a plan to preserve 100 million tourism jobs through private-public collaboration. According to WTTC, the main measures of the plan include “eliminating quarantines and other travel barriers through the implementation of an international testing regime, combined with rigorous health and safety protocols, to enable the world to adapt to living with the COVID-19 virus while minimizing the risk of it spreading further.”
The Details
World Travel & Tourism Council
www.wttc.org
