Hyderabad: Every year September 27 is celebrated as World Tourism Day to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). On the occasion of World Tourism Day 2022, let us analyze whether international tourism reached a pre-pandemic level or not.
Although international tourism has continued to show signs of recovery, it is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon, WTO said.
As per the latest World Tourism Barometer published by the Madrid-based agency on Monday, an estimated 474 million tourists traveled internationally in the first seven months of this year, equivalent to 57 percent of the number of international tourist arrivals in the same period prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Europe and the Middle East reported the strongest recovery with arrivals at 74 percent and 76 percent of 2019 levels respectively.
Hurdle in recovery in international tourism
As countries are celebrating World Tourism Day 2022 today, it is essential to know what are the hurdles in the recovery path of international tourism.
The uncertain economic environment is one of the reasons that is hindering the recovery.
Due to rising inflation and spike in oil prices, transport and accommodation costs increased enormously. The purchasing power of consumers is under pressure due to these reasons.
Because of the global economic condition and pressure on purchasing power, international tourism is taking time to recover to the pre-pandemic level.
Theme of World Tourism Day 2022
UNWTO started celebrating world tourism day in 1980. The purpose of the day is to create awareness about the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value.
Every year, UNWTO General Assembly designates a country as the host to act as the organization’s partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day.
This year, Indonesia is the host country, and ‘Rethinking tourism’ is the theme of World Tourism Day 2022.
