Donnerstag, 28.03.2024 14:05 Uhr

Effects of COVID19 on Tourism

Verantwortlicher Autor: Carlo Marino Rome, 20.03.2020, 21:14 Uhr
Nachricht/Bericht: +++ Reise & Tourismus +++ Bericht 6494x gelesen

Rome [ENA] The effects of the Coronavirus on the tourism sector will have a very negative impact on the Italian economy. The shutdown of the sector could lead to the next Italian economic recession. In Italy the contagion is continuously increasing, while the number of dead continues to grow as the days go by: more than 4000 till today. Tourism is very important for the country. With approximately 128 million tourists a year,

Italy is a major tourist power. The incomes of millions of people and their families are at stake, be it in urban centres or in remote communities where tourism is sometimes the main income generator and a vehicle for social inclusion, protecting heritage and kickstarting development. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) hosted a high-level virtual meeting yesterday, assembling key UN agencies, the chairs of its Executive Council and Regional Commissions, and private sector leaders.

COVID-19 is hitting Tourism as economic sector in the hardest way and all participants accepted an invitation from the UNWTO Secretary-General to become part of a Global Tourism Crisis Committee, formed as UNWTO prepares to launch a global guide for recovery. Regular virtual meetings will be held by a UNWTO-led Committee reflecting the need for coordinated and efficient action by the private and public sectors, governments, international financing institutions, and the United Nations. UNWTO and World Health Organization (WHO) have been working closely since the start of the pandemic to guide the tourism sector as it faces up to the COVID-19 challenge.

This meeting, hosted in Madrid but conducted virtually for reasons of public health, further gave special importance to the call for international cooperation to emphasize the necessity of a united response based on the latest public health recommendations and reflecting the deep economic outcome and social cost of the pandemic. “This unprecedented public health emergency has already become an economic crisis which will come at a social cost”, said UNWTO’s Zurab Pololikashvili.

The Secretary-General added that tourism “is the hardest hit sector and all our best estimates have been overtaken by the changing reality”. Stay home today so you can #TravelTomorrow There’s no certainty over how long this crisis will last or what the final economic and structural impact on tourism will be, and all participants were united in their deep concern over the millions of jobs that are at risk . With small and medium-sized enterprises making up 80% of the sector worldwide, the wider social impact of the crisis will go far beyond tourism, making it a key concern for the international community.

Tourism has proven in the past to be a consistently good partner to lead recovery for societies and communities, but only if the economic policies of governments and the support packages of donor and financing agencies reflect how the sector touches on every part of society. This requires political recognition and cooperation across ministries, involving the public and private sectors and set in the context of wider action plans by financial institutions and regional bodies.

This requires political recognition and cooperation across ministries, involving the public and private sectors and set in the context of wider action plans by financial institutions and regional bodies. All welcomed UNWTO’s tagline to ‘Stay home today so you can travel tomorrow’, which is promoted on digital media through the hashtag #TravelTomorrow. In the coming days, UNWTO will release a set of recommendations for recovery. The document will point out the steps governments and other authorities need to take to make less severe the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector and to then accelerate recovery.

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