Global News
December 2020
UNWTO REPORT REVEALS WORLDWiDE EASiNG OF TRAVEL RESTRiCTiONS
T
he World Tourism Organisa on (UNWTO) has released a report revealing that 70 per cent of des na ons around the world have eased travel restric ons in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings were discussed in the eighth edi on of the UNWTO’s Travel Restric ons Report, a document launched at the start of the pandemic to keep track of measures taken in 217 global des na ons worldwide. The findings aim to “support the mi ga on and recovery efforts of the tourism sector”. The report shows that 152 des na ons have eased restric ons on interna onal tourism from November 1, an increase from the 115 recorded on September 1. Meanwhile, one in four des na ons con nue to keep their borders closed 78 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com
to interna onal tourists – this has decreased from 93 to 59 over the two-month period. Europe con nues to lead the way in the li ing of restric ons, followed by the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Asia and the Pacific, however, have more complete border closures in place in response to the ongoing pandemic. The study also examined the reasons behind the li ing or strengthening of restric ons, sta ng that those des na ons with higher scores in health and hygiene indicators as well as on the environmental performance index have eased restric ons faster. Conversely, countries and territories that have kept their borders closed – the majority of which are located in Asia and the Pacific – tend to be within emerging economies with rela vely low scores in these two
factors. The report also looks to the future, highligh ng that governments can play a pivotal role in the recovery of tourism. At the moment, six of the ten biggest tourism source markets have issued travel regula ons according to evidence-based risk assessments. Commen ng on the findings, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “The li ing of travel restric ons is essen al to drive our wider recovery from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. Governments have an important part to play in giving data-led and responsible travel advice and in working together to li restric ons as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE
