Tourism could reach pre-pandemic levels in some regions in 2023

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimated that international tourist arrivals could be 80-95% of pre-pandemic levels by 2023depending on the magnitude of the economic slowdown, on how travel in Asia and the Pacific is recovering and on the evolution of the war in Ukraine, among other variables.

According to the UNWTO, more than 900 million tourists made international trips in 2022twice as much as in 2021, although the figure represents only 63% of pre-pandemic levels.

The data shows that all regions of the world recorded notable increases in the numbers of international tourists. The Middle East had the largest relative increase, with arrivals equal to 83% of pre-pandemic numbers. Europe almost achieved 80% of pre-pandemic levels, with 585 million arrivals in 2022. Africa and the Americas recovered around 65% of pre-pandemic visitors, while Asia and the Pacific only recovered 23%, maintaining measures stricter sanitary regulations that began to relax only in recent months.

longer trips

The UNWTO reported that the increase in income from international tourism observed in most destinations has been notable, and has exceeded in several cases that of arrivals thanks to the increase in average spending per trip given that periods of stay have lengthened, that travelers spend more in their destinations and that inflation has increased costs.

Despite these favorable factors, the agency warned that the economic situation could cause tourists to more cautious attitude in 2023, with less spending, and shorter trips to closer destinations.

In addition, he considered that the continuing uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and other growing geopolitical tensions, as well as the health challenges related to COVID-19 pose worsening risks and could weigh on the recovery of tourism in the coming months.

A new association will promote investments in the sector in Latin America

The World Tourism Organization announced this Thursday a new cooperation agreement with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) that will seek to support the recovery of the tourism sector and specify it as a more sustainable and resilient sector.

The association was unveiled within the framework of the International Tourism Fair, in Madrid, Spain, where UNWTO hosted senior representatives of the Member States of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as executives from the private sector.

UNWTO has repeatedly underlined the importance of investments to develop a stronger, more sustainable and resilient tourism sector.

Under the new agreement, the entities will jointly develop a series of general tourist investment guidelines that, for now, will focus in five countries: Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama, El Salvador and Barbados.

In addition, they will design strategies that attract, promote and retain foreign direct investment in sustainable tourism initiatives with the purpose of accelerating economic recovery and fostering sustainability and resilience throughout the industry.

Transition towards a green tourism

Over the years, UNWTO has referred to tourism activity as a recognized engine of sustainable development and has highlighted the potential of investments to accelerate the green transition in the sector.

During the COP26 Climate Change Conference held in 2021 in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the Organization launched a declaration recognizing financing as an essential pillar of climate change. tourism industry commitment to halve carbon emissions in the current decade and to reach net zero by 2050.

In this sense, the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, was optimistic regarding the opportunities that the new association with CAF will create in Latin America.

“With this new agreement, UNWTO and CAF will work together to promote investment in the sector and direct it towards projects and initiatives that mark the greatest differencePololikashvili said.

For his part, the executive president of CAF pointed out that the work of the financial institution is aimed at becoming the Green Bank of the region.

“And that will include the development of sustainable and regenerative tourism. Proof of our commitment is that we are the first multilateral institution to sign the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The association with the UNWTO will boost our approach to the tourism sector and will help us achieve our objectives”, asserted Sergio Díaz-Granados.

To reinforce the intention of make tourism an ecological industrythe UNWTO announced that this year, World Tourism Day -commemorated every September 27- will have as its theme “Tourism and green investments”.

CAF, on the other hand, reported that its member countries will be able to access innovative financing models that reduce investment risk, supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and reducing the energy dependence of the sector.