of Vicky Kourlibini
The stigma of this year’s tourist movement is given by the World Tourism Organization. According to a statement, tourism continues to recover rapidly, while already globally, the destinations recorded in the first quarter of 2022 almost three times more international arrivals compared to the same period of 2021, with Europe leading the “return “of tourism.
In fact, the southern Mediterranean and the Caribbean are experiencing the fastest recovery rates. In both, arrivals recovered to almost 75% of 2019 levels, with some destinations reaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Destinations open
Although international tourism remains 61% below 2019 levels, the gradual recovery is expected to continue throughout the year, as more destinations loosen or lift travel restrictions and release limited demand. As of June 2, 45 destinations (of which 31 in Europe) have no Covid-19-related restrictions.
According to the latest POT Tourism Barometer, international tourism grew by 182% in arrivals in January-March, with destinations worldwide receiving around 117 million international arrivals compared to 41 million in the first quarter of 2021.
Of the additional 76 million arrivals for the first quarter, 47 million were in March alone, indicating that the recovery is accelerating, according to the WHO.
Europe and America lead the recovery
Data from the World Tourism Organization show that in the first quarter Europe received almost four times more international arrivals (+ 280%) than in the first quarter of 2021.
Arrivals in America more than doubled (+ 117%) in the same quarter. However, arrivals in Europe and America are still 43% and 46% lower than 2019 levels respectively.
The Middle East (+ 132%) and Africa (+ 96%) also showed strong growth in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2021, but arrivals remained 59% and 61% below 2019 levels respectively.
Asia and the Pacific recorded a 64% increase compared to 2021, but again, the levels were 93% below the 2019 figures, as several destinations remained closed.
The optimism is growing
The recent POT Confidence Index showed a significant increase. For the first time since the pandemic began, the index has returned to 2019 levels, reflecting growing optimism among tourism experts worldwide, based on strong demand, especially for travel within Europe.
According to a recent survey, the vast majority of tourism professionals (83%) see better prospects for 2022 compared to 2021, as the coronavirus is in recession and destinations continue to relax or lift travel restrictions.
However, the uncertainty stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict could delay the effective recovery of international tourism.
A larger number of experts (48%) finally see a possible return of international arrivals to 2019 levels in 2023 (up from 32% in the January survey), while the percentage indicating that this could happen in 2024 or later (44%) ) has decreased compared to the January survey (64%).
Source: Capital
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