Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals might decrease by 20–30% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US$30–50 billion. In many of the world's cities, planned travel went down by 80–90%. Conflicting and unilateral travel restrictions occurred regionally and many tourist attractions around the world, such as museums, amusement parks, and sports venues closed.
Travel restrictions
As a result of the pandemic, many countries and regions have imposed quarantines, entry bans, or other restrictions for citizens of or recent travellers to the most affected areas. Other countries and regions have imposed global restrictions that apply to all foreign countries and territories, or prevent their own citizens from travelling overseas.Together with a decreased willingness to travel, the restrictions have had a negative economic impact on the travel sector in those regions. A possible long-term impact has been a decline of business travel and international conferencing, and the rise of their virtual, online equivalents. Concerns have been raised over the effectiveness of travel restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19.
By country
Australia
Tourism bodies have suggested that the total economic cost to the sector, as of 11 February 2020, would be A$4.5 billion. Casino earnings are expected to fall. At least two localities in Australia, Cairns and the Gold Coast, have reported already lost earnings of more that $600 million.The Australian Tourism Industry Council called on the Government of Australia for financial support especially in light of the large number of small businesses affected.
National travel agency Flight Centre has indefinitely closed 100 stores throughout Australia, due to significantly lower demand for travel. It also suffered a 75% decline in share price, cancellation of a previously announced dividend, and share trading suspension, and announced that 6,000 staff would be made redundant or placed on unpaid leave globally.
Bosnia
The number of foreign tourists who visited Bosnia's Federation in March plummeted 79% on the year, to 9,660, the entity's statistical office said.Foreign tourists spent 19,089 overnights in the Federation in March, down 77% year-on-year, the Federation's statistical office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The total number of tourists who visited the Federation in March fell by 75% on the year to 16,186. Total tourist overnights decreased by 73% to 31,881.
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 79% year-on-year.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria banned the entry of foreigners in March due to the coronavirus epidemic.Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 43.7% year-on-year. Travelers from Greece and Serbia on business trips or with family ties, and diplomats, humanitarian and transport workers will be allowed to enter Bulgaria from June 1 without undergoing a 14-day quarantine, said Bulgarian Premier Boyko Borisov.
Cambodia
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 64.7% year-on-year.Cambodia has banned entry of foreign visitors from six countries - the United States, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Iran - since mid-March and has imposed entry restrictions for all foreigners since March 30 to curb COVID-19.
Cambodia's tourism industry, which amounted to 4.92 billion US dollars, is currently being hit hardest by the ravaging pandemic. A tourism data showed that Cambodia received a total of 223,400 foreign tourists in March, a decrease of 65 percent over the same month last year.
China
has been hit hard by travel restrictions and fears of contagion, including a ban on both domestic and international tour groups.Hong Kong
Foreign arrivals in February 2020 fell by 96.4% year-on-year and by 98.6% year-on-year in March 2020.Costa Rica
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 51.4% year-on-year.Croatia
Early data indicated that foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 75% year-on-year.Cyprus
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 67.4% year-on-year.Greece
Foreign arrivals fell by 46,8% year-on-year and tourism revenue fell by 71,0% year-on-year in March 2020.Hungary
Foreign arrivals fell by 98.7% year-on-year and domestic tourism fell by 95% year-on-year in April 2020.India
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 66.4% year-on-year.Indonesia
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 64.11% year-on-year.Japan
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 94% year-on-year. By mid-April, daily arrivals of foreigners had fallen by 99.9% year-on-year.Malaysia
On 16 March 2020, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture announces that several tourist attraction around Malaysia will remain closed until 30 March 2020 which includes tourist information center, National Arts Gallery, craft centers, Lenggong Archaeological Museum, National Archives of Malaysia, memorial centers and National Library of Malaysia.Mexico
The Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turístico sent two letters in March to Alfonso Romo, Chief of Staff to the President of Mexico, outlining the importance of tourism to the economy and asking for government support for the sector. Tourism provides 4 million jobs in Mexico, and 93% of the companies have ten or fewer employees. The pandemic caused the closure of 4,000 hotels and 2,000 restaurants, while the airline industry lost MXN $30 billion through March.Serbia
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 65.8% year-on-year.Singapore
Foreign arrivals in February 2020 fell by 51.2% year-on-year.Slovenia
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 78% year-on-year.South Korea
In South Korea, Korea Association of Travel Agents asked for government support to offset the industry's ballooning losses from a slew of travel cancellations since the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea's largest travel agencies, Hana Tour and Mode Tour, either, reporting 10 billion won in damage from cancellations.Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 94.6% year-on-year.
Spain
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 64% year-on-year.Sri Lanka
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 70.8% year-on-year.Thailand
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 76.4% year-on-year, and tourist spending fell 77.6% year-on-year. With the Thai border closed and most international flights banned since 4 April, both tourist arrivals and spending in April 2020 have fell to zero.Turkey
Foreign arrivals in March 2020 fell by 67.73% year-on-year.United States
Hawaii nearly shut down tourism and tourist arrivals in Hawaii was down 99.5% in April 2020. With its 14-day mandatory quarantine for anyone arriving, tourism remained low. A number of tourists who came to the island but did not follow the mandatory 14-day quarantine were arrested. In June 2020 Hawaii had still not set a date for reopening the island to out-of-state tourism. As of June 16 the quarantine would be lifted for inter-island tourism.Florida tourism had a year-over-year 10.7% drop in the first quarter of 2020.
Vietnam
Foreign arrivals in April 2020 fell by 98.2% year-on-year.By sector
Airlines
Casino industry
In Macau, the world's top gambling destination by revenue, all casinos were closed for 15 days in February 2020 and suffered a year-on-year revenue drop of 88%, the worst ever recorded in the territory.On March 17, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all casinos closed for 30 days.