UNWTO has outlined two scenarios for the recovery of the tourism sector

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has outlined two scenarios for a possible recovery of this segment in the second half of 2021. The institution provided forecasts following the release of the last issue of the tourist barometer, which pointed out that the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues this calendar year. According to the mentioned barometer, the number of foreign tourists in January 2021 decreased by 87 percent compared to the same month last year. "Mandatory testing, quarantine and, in some cases, complete closure of borders have prevented the resumption of international travel. In addition, the distribution of vaccines and the speed of vaccination were slower than expected, which further delayed the restart of tourism, "the organization said. The UNWTO scenarios for revitalizing tourism are based on many factors, notably the wider lifting of travel restrictions, the success of vaccination campaigns and the introduction of harmonized protocols such as the digital green certificates proposed by the European Commission. The first scenario envisages a revival of tourism in July, which could cause a 66 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists by 2021 compared to historic lows in 2020. In that case, the number of tourists abroad would still be 55 percent lower than the numbers recorded in 2019. The second scenario envisages a potential recovery of the tourism sector in September, which would lead to a 22 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists and would be 67 percent less than in 2019. "The outlook for the rest of the year remains cautious as the UNWTO continues to call for stronger coordination of travel protocols between countries to ensure a safe restart of tourism and to prevent another year of major losses in the sector," the UNWTO said.