Tourism and COVID-19

COVID-19, a virus that was first detected in Wuhan of China in late 2019. This has put the entire world in uncertainty and chaos. The challenges faced by people during covid-19 crisis is uncontestable.  This global pandemic has become one of most notable crises to challenge the health sector, economic sector and wellbeing of people all over the world. It has been nearly one and a half years since the virus was first detected. The world still struggles as the second wave emerges in various regions.

The deadly pandemic has deeply affected the tourism industry, which is one of the major sectors. The overwhelming impact caused by this virus on almost every part of global tourism is a burning issue now. Many governments have imposed severe and strict measures to stop the spread of this deadly virus. It includes borders and airway closures along with lockdowns and countless travel restrictions. This directly  affected the tourism industry, which in turn is causing a great economic downturn.

Tourism not only provides high volume of jobs for low skilled workers, together with high skilled jobs but it also generates foreign exchange, and drives regional and local development. Travel restrictions impacted tourism sectors, including hotels, accommodations, restaurants, museums, and small-scale businesses, disrupting operations and livelihoods globally. The unprecedented effects on tourism jobs and business has led to near-complete cessation of tourism activities around the world.

There have been massive cancellation of hotels and tourist bookings followed by widespread unemployment, loss of income and threatened livelihoods for millions of people from every corner of the world. According to WTTC, The Travel & Tourism sector has suffered a loss of around 4.7 trillion US dollar in 2020. Its contribution to GDP dropped by a staggering 49.1% compared to 2019. Countries like Costa Rica, France, the USA, Greece, Morocco, Portugal, and Thailand, which generate the most tourists, have suffered significant tourism losses, exceeding 3% of their national GDP.

COVID-19’s impact on low and middle-income countries like Nepal, reliant on limited service industries, raises deeply concerning consequences. Without exception, like all the countries of the world, tourism of Nepal has also been decimated by this global pandemic. Around 2,00,000 people who are directly employed in hotel, restaurants, trekking, mountaineering, airlines and other tourism subsectors have been directly affected by the restrictions due to pandemic. Considering coronavirus and its health impact, Nepal Government had to cancel the ambitious campaign “Visit Nepal Year 2020” which aimed to bring 2 million tourists in Nepal. The pandemic has directly impacted 1254 registered tourist-standard hotels, 29 international airlines flying to Nepal, 20 domestic airlines, and 2649 registered trekking agencies, forcing many tourism businesses to close.

Domestic tourism is helping to soften the blow, at least partially. The Nepal government is also developing plans and actions to restore and revive the sector, protecting business and jobs. In this crisis, people worldwide have united to fight together, rebuild, and reemerge stronger than before. Many countries including Nepal are now developing measures to develop a more sustainable tourism economy post COVID-19. It includes preparing plans to support the strategic recovery of tourism.