A report presented by the WTTC reveals that the US maintained its position as the world's largest travel and tourism market, despite suffering a huge 41% drop in GDP last year.

China also maintained its position as the second largest travel and tourism market, but saw a stronger GDP drop of 59.9% with Japan slightly improving its ranking, from fourth to third place, with a GDP drop of almost 100%. half that of China, only 37%.

Meanwhile, the UK, which in 2019 was ranked as the world's fifth-largest travel and tourism market, fell three places to number eight, sustaining a 62.3% drop in GDP.

Continued travel restrictions and unnecessary and crushing quarantines caused it to suffer the biggest collapse of the 10 largest travel and tourism markets. 

Figures from the WTTC, which represents the global private travel and tourism sector, come from its 2021 Economic Impact Report (EIR), which uncovers the devastating impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC, said: “With positive news from across Europe about the gradual reopening of borders, we expect many more countries to take a more risk-based approach. This will restore mobility safely through rapid tests and health and hygiene protocols, in addition to the benefit of the deployment of vaccination."

“The urgent need to restore international travel is clearly evident following the release of WTTC data showing that the global travel and tourism sector suffered disproportionately due to the pandemic. 
” “Globally, countries experienced an average decline on the contribution to GDP of 49.1%, while the world economy contracted just 3.7% last year, showing how travel restrictions have drastically reduced the contribution of Travel & Tourism to the economies of all the world".

"However, despite travel restrictions designed to slow the spread of the pandemic, the US and China maintained their respective positions as the first and second largest travel and tourism markets."
"But both the US and China suffered damaging drops in the sector's contribution to their respective GDPs, and the UK experienced the most damaging collapse of the top 10 markets with a 62.3% drop in contribution to GDP".

"We think this shows that understandable but misguided actions to curb COVID-19 with travel restrictions harmful and ineffective as quarantines, do more harm than good and end up squashing the same economies that were designed to protect."

"It is even more damaging when we know that one in four new jobs created in 2019 was in Travel & Tourism, so the sector will be absolutely vital in driving the global economic recovery."
"As vaccine launches continue apace and international travel gradually resumes, travel and tourism will once again become a priority for governments around the world.

" The US has made great strides with vaccination programs, inoculating more than half of their populations, showing that there is reason to be optimistic about the future."

“But now is not the time to take your foot off the pedal; we have to push for travel to resume faster to regain the 62 million jobs lost last year and the many millions more still in the balance."

“We believe that only countries that offer certainty and a clear protocol for travel will fully recover from the pandemic. Recovery can be achieved with a combination of rapid rest, use of masks, and improved health and hygiene measures to complement the launch of the vaccine.

"In addition, PCR tests are too expensive and inconvenient and will not allow resumption of travel, which is why the WTTC and other industry bodies have asked governments around the world to accept the most affordable antigen tests."

“Globally, in 2019, one in 10 jobs depended on our industry and international coordination and the implementation of clear mobility protocols to resume international travel will not only protect these jobs, but also return the benefits. social and livelihoods of those affected."

The 2021 Economic Impact Report (EIR) of the WTTC identified that other leading global travel and tourism markets suffer similar dramatic falls in GDP. Germany fell one place from third to fourth place, then from a 46.9% drop in the sector's contribution to GDP, while Italy rose one place from sixth to fifth, despite experiencing a 51% drop in contribution to GDP. In particular, France, the world's popular destination in terms of the number of international visitors, rose one position from seventh to sixth place, despite the fact that its contribution to GDP was cut by almost half (48.8%). Research from the WTTC 2021 EIR revealed that the global travel and tourism sector suffered a loss of nearly US $ 4.5 trillion in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19, with nearly 62 million jobs lost, representing a 18.5% drop, leaving only 272 million employees worldwide. industry worldwide.

Demand recovers slowly
The International Air Transport Association has announced that international demand for March fell 87.8% compared to March 2019, a slight improvement from the 89.0% drop in February (compared to February 2019). While global domestic demand contracted by 32.3% compared to pre-crisis levels (March 2019), a significant improvement compared to the 51.2% drop in February 2021 (compared to February 2019). All markets except Brazil and India showed improvements compared to February 2021. China was the main driver of this improvement, as noted above.

“The positive momentum we have seen in some key domestic markets in March shows the strong recovery we anticipate in international markets as travel restrictions are lifted. People want and need to fly. And we are confident that they will when the restrictions are lifted, ”said Willie Walsh, IATA Director General. 

North American airlines posted a traffic drop of 80.9% compared to March 2019, an improvement from the 83.4% contraction in February (compared to February 2019). Capacity contracted 62.6% and load factor slipped 41.0 percentage points to 42.9%.

Latin American airlines experienced a drop of 82.4% in March 2021 compared to March 2019, a slight improvement compared to the February slowdown of 83.7% (compared to February 2019). March capacity fell 77.4% compared to March 2019, and load factor fell 18.1 percentage points to 63.6%, the best global figure for the sixth consecutive month.

Government support raises expectations
The meeting of Ministers of Tourism of the Americas that took place in the Dominican Republic has left a sweet taste after many months of uncertainty in the tourism industry. Important joint initiatives were approved to achieve the “full recovery” of the sector.

After long hours of debates, ten points were approved where joint efforts are established to achieve the recovery of tourism, the sector hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the final declaration, the participants reaffirmed "the responsibility and commitment of all governments and international organizations to support tourism" to ensure its "rapid, effective, safe and sustainable recovery."

The document's signature establishes promoting public-private partnerships and governance mechanisms through cooperation, analysis, and the generation of joint policies and actions among all national, regional and international sectors that affect the tourism value chain.

The ministers of the region also reaffirmed their commitment to work together in the reactivation of the tourism sector through concrete and comprehensive measures that contribute to the sustainable economic growth of tourism and the simultaneous satisfaction of environmental, social and cultural aspects.

In one of its recitals, the document urges "to adopt national and international policies and increase coordination in all sectors and between borders, to restore the confidence of travelers and the business environment, stimulate demand and accelerate the recovery of tourism".