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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) says international travel remains on hold across all regions on the back of the emergence of Covid-19 variants and continued imposition of travel restrictions.
In a statement, UNWTO said despite a small uptick in May, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit hard on the tourism sector.
“The biggest crisis in the history of tourism continues into a second year. Between January and May, international tourist arrivals were 85 petcent below 2019 levels (or a 65 percent drop on 2020). Despite a small uptick in May, the emergence of Covid-19 variants and the continued imposition of restrictions are weighing on the recovery of international travel,” it said.
The global tourism body noted that over the first five months of the year, world destinations recorded 147 million fewer international arrivals (overnight visitors) compared to the same period of 2020, or 460 million less than pre-pandemic year of 2019.
“However, the data does point to a relatively small upturn in May, with arrivals declining by 82 petcent (versus May 2019), after falling by 86 percent in April. This slight upward trend emerged as some destinations started to ease restrictions and consumer confidence rose slightly,” said UNWTO. – @okazunga
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