Covid-19 Responsible Recovery

It calls for a responsible recovery of the tourism sector from the COVID-19 crisis. A recovery which is founded on sustainability, to build back better, and which therefore can underpin the resilience of the tourism sector.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused unprecedented socio-economic impacts, but most importantly has raised our awareness of the role sustainability needs to play in our everyday life and economic activities. Tourism, one of the hardest hit economic sectors, might face a decline of 58% and 78% in international tourist arrivals during 2020 and has 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk. There are additional impacts which are still difficult to quantify, such as threats to the conservation of species and biodiversity, all directly linked to tourism.

As of 18 May 2020, all destinations worldwide are observing travel restrictions for international tourism. Out of all 217 destinations, 163 (75%) have placed a complete stop on international tourism and, for the time being, only seven destinations have started to ease travel restrictions. This situation makes it difficult to foresee when tourism operations will fully resume. It is nevertheless predictable that changes to the way tourism operated will be needed to exit a crisis of this magnitude.

In line with the priorities outlined in the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism, this vision aims to support the development and implementation of recovery plans which contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

As such, the vision recommends six lines of action to guide a responsible tourism recovery for people, planet and prosperity, namely public health, social inclusion, biodversity conservation, climate action, circular economy and governance and finance.