Boosted by vaccination progress and multinational policies, global tourism has shown signs of recovery recently, but the recovery of tourism in different regions and countries is still uneven. The insiders believe that tourism is crucial to the global economic recovery, and all parties should strengthen international cooperation to promote the more flexible and sustainable development of tourism.
The latest report released by the Expert Committee of the United Nations World Tourism Organization shows that with the acceleration of vaccination and the restart of some key tourism markets, the confidence index of global tourism recovery is rising. 60% of the respondents believe that the global tourism industry will return to the pre-epidemic level and usher in growth in 2022. This year is 65438+ 10 month, accounting for 50%.
The industry shows signs of improvement.
Recently, tourism in some countries has begun to recover. Khalid anany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, said recently that Egypt's tourism industry is gradually improving.
In April this year, Egypt received about 500,000 tourists from 20 countries and regions, and the number of tourists recovered to about 50% of the same period in 20 19. In order to ensure the safety of tourists and employees, the Egyptian government has vaccinated more than 2 million employees in the tourism industry.
According to the data from the tourism department of UAE, the average hotel occupancy in UAE increased by 27.6% in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period of last year, with an increase of 1 12% in March.
Tourism in some African countries is also accelerating its recovery. Officials from Uganda's Ministry of Tourism said that the number of tourists booked in the first quarter of this year tripled compared with the same period of last year, and the number of travel agency bookings increased by 1 1 times from August last year to March this year.
Gloria Guevara, Chairman and CEO of the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), said at the end of April that in recent months, island tourism, short-distance tourism and short-distance tourism in many countries have shown signs of initial recovery. WTTC predicts that the contribution of global tourism to global GDP will increase by 48.5% year-on-year.
At the same time, some online and offline international tourism exhibitions have been held one after another. In the middle and late May, Madrid International Tourism Exhibition was held, with more than 5,000 exhibitors from 55 countries and regions, and the number of online and offline exhibitors exceeded 65,438+10,000; In almost the same period, the Arab Tourism Expo held in Dubai attracted about 1300 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions including Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, South Korea and the United States.
Convenience policies are constantly being introduced.
According to the survey of world-renowned travel companies such as Cat's Eye Eagle and Yikexing, with the acceleration of global vaccination progress, the demand for summer tourism in various countries has increased, and more and more tourists have begun to plan their vacation trips. In order to welcome summer tourists, many countries and regions have introduced targeted measures to promote tourism.
Recently, the International Air Transport Association has cooperated with many countries to launch the "Digital Health Pass" system. Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways began to use the "International Air Transport Association Travel Pass" mobile phone application and launched the "Digital Health Passport", which improved the convenience and flexibility of travel. Some regions and countries, including the European Union, are also trying similar digital travel passes.
Representatives of many Latin American countries recently signed the Punta Cana Declaration, formulated an action plan for tourism development in the post-epidemic era, and emphasized increasing assistance to tourism enterprises and practitioners.
Some countries have introduced relevant tourism convenience policies. For example, Egypt has formulated a comprehensive action plan, including building new hotels, improving tourism infrastructure and tourist attractions, developing new tourist cities, and inviting tourism writers and online bloggers to "punch in" popular attractions. Barbados, a Caribbean island country, has introduced a new one-year visa, which allows holders to telecommute on the island for one year without paying local income tax.
Investment in tourism has also become active. Recently, Airbnb, the global short rent apartment booking platform, announced that it will participate in a $2.5 billion investment project in Mexican tourism with global tourism brands.
In April this year, Jamaica received $2 billion in foreign and local tourism investment, including the development of large hotels and resorts. In the next two years, more than 7,000 hotel rooms will be added and more than 20,000 new jobs will be created.
Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, said that digitalization will play an important role in the process of tourism recovery. Countries should improve the ability of tourism destination management agencies to use digital technology and strengthen the relationship among tourists, tourism professionals and the digital environment.
From tourism promotion to personnel training to industry exchange, the application of digital tools is more and more extensive. Jordan Tourism Bureau uses social media channels to release promotional videos to show historical images, natural scenery and archaeological landscapes; The Jamaican government provides free online training certification courses for tourism practitioners to help them improve their digital skills; At Madrid International Tourism Exhibition, the organizers enhanced the on-site experience of online participation through online and mobile applications, and the tools provided by them can facilitate participants from all over the world to communicate and enhance the enjoyment of information.
Make joint efforts to promote sustainable development
Experts in the industry believe that at present, the global tourism industry as a whole shows a slow recovery trend, but problems such as uneven distribution of vaccines, different medical and health levels, and different economic debt burdens may hinder the recovery process of tourism in some countries and regions, and the global tourism recovery will be unbalanced.
At the recent global tourism recovery conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, all parties agreed that the public and private sectors and countries should be strongly supported to strengthen coordination and cooperation, promote the sustainable development of tourism, and let more regions and people enjoy the tourism dividend.
At the meeting, the World Tourism Organization launched the "Most Beautiful Tourism Village" initiative, which will identify a number of areas around the world that use innovative methods to promote the transformation of rural tourism.
The World Tourism Organization also announced the opening of a regional office in Riyadh to coordinate tourism policies and measures in the Middle East, collect data, enjoy information, promote tourism investment, establish a Middle East Tourism College, and train and certify professionals.
Saudi Tourism Minister Hadib announced at the meeting that he will cooperate with the World Bank and invest 65.438 billion US dollars to establish an international comprehensive tourism fund, which is dedicated to the sustainable development of international tourism.
The International Monetary Fund suggests that governments should pay more attention to pertinence, policy space and sustainability when formulating policies, and promote the diversified development of tourism by turning to sustainable tourism models and investing in new technologies.
Countries must strengthen international cooperation, establish information platforms and provide effective epidemic prevention and tourism guidance for tourists.
Pololikashvili said: "Tourism represents the hope of economic recovery. The safe restart of tourism can not be separated from the guidance of various countries and the strengthening of cooperation and innovation. "