UN Policy Brief: COVID-19 Transforming Tourism

Today, August 31st is the last day of what many of us consider to be the “summer” season. It certainly has not been one for the record books, unless you consider the pandemic’s devastating effect on the tourism industry.

At TOTA, we have been working collectively to keep the industry updated on the facts and figures as they become available. Since March, the stats have been presented online through our weekly Research Round-Up and, more recently, the bi-weekly Friday Fast Facts. While a few of our communities and small pockets of the region reported relatively strong BC Restart Phase 3 visitor numbers in July and August, the Thompson Okanagan region in its entirety reported -25% domestic overnight visitors for the week ending August 23, compared to last year.

This week, the United Nations (UN) released the Policy Brief: COVID-19 & Transforming Tourism and a visual summary of findings on how the pandemic has impacted global tourism. The findings indicate that COVID-19 has adversely impacted the economies of numerous countries worldwide and will ultimately change the face of the tourism industry for years to come.

After almost a decade of staggering tourism growth, the dramatic downturns of this past six months could never have been imagined. The United Nations is now projecting dramatic impacts for the industry in 2020, with upwards of $1.2 trillion in revenue losses and more than 120 million tourism jobs at risk. The UN further indicates that, while many are not aware, the tourism industry employs 1 in 10 persons worldwide and, as a result, the unemployment rate in some countries may reach as high as 20% this year.

These are sobering numbers but it is critical we all know the facts and collectively understand the situation we are facing, including the industry and economic impacts. We can each raise awareness of these impacts to ensure support is in a place where it is needed. More than ever, we must work as one unified voice to drive the tourism industry forward.

TOTA continues to advocate on behalf of the industry and to provide programs and initiatives to assist our stakeholders through this crisis and through the difficult days yet to come. If you haven’t done so yet, we encourage you to sign up to our Tourism Resiliency Program and connect with our TOTA team to access programs and opportunities to assist your business.

Your success is our only goal and our only measure.