International tourism is likely to stagnate this year

International tourism is likely to stagnate this year, the United Nations said, which could mean losses of more than $ 2 trillion. In addition, they do not expect a full recovery to the pre-pandemic level in less than two years. According to the latest report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the number of foreign tourists in the world should stagnate this year, with the exception of some Western markets, which could lead to level 2 losses, $ 4 trillion (€ 2.02 trillion). At the same time, they added that organizations do not expect a full recovery in tourism until 2023. In addition, the report states that vaccination and covid certificates will be necessary to restore confidence and return to normal in the field of international tourism, on which small island states in particular depend. In 2020, the number of foreign tourists in the world fell by 73 percent compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, which, according to the latest estimates, led to losses in tourism and related sectors of $ 2.4 trillion, according to a UNCTAD and UNWTO report. "The outlook for this year is no better," said Ralf Peters of UNCTAD's analytical department. "The first three months of the year were bad enough again, people didn't travel much," he said. He added that some recovery, at least in North America and Europe, is expected in the second half of the year, with organizations based mainly on the pace of vaccination. The UNCTAD and UNWTO report set out three development scenarios for 2021, according to which the number of foreign tourists in the world should decrease by 63 to 75 percent compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019. Potential losses would range from $ 1.7 trillion to $ 2.4 trillion. Zorica Uroševičová from the UNWTO said that international tourism has now returned 30 years, which threatens the livelihoods of the population in several countries. Over time, the situation will improve, but according to Sandra Carva of the UNWTO, the pace of tourism recovery will vary significantly from region to region and from country to country.