The COVID-induced travel & tourism depression has caused and exacerbated suffering. In this “Good Tourism” Insight, academic Tazim Jamal summarises the opportunities that she sees for ‘healing’, ‘justice’, and ‘equity’ as our industry recovers.
Tourism is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It employs more than 100 million people directly and generates about 10% of global GDP. International arrivals grew by 7% in 2017 to 1.32 billion visitors, 6% to 1.4 billion in 2018, and 4% in 2019 to reach 1.5 billion, according to the World Tourism Barometer. But the world changed and mobilities decelerated after March 11, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization. International travel (overnight visitors) plunged by 70% in the first eight months of 2020.
The pandemic has reminded us of our common humanity and our societal vulnerabilities, revealing lack of coordination and regulation of the global tourism industry as well as deep inequalities, lack of decent wages, and little social support for high-risk groups. ... For the full "GT" Insight, visit https://goodtourismblog.com/2021/06/towards-a-new-paradigm-for-regenerative-tourism-and-just-futures/