London: The global travel and tourism industry is on course to lose 174 million jobs this year if current restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus remain in place, a leading industry group warned Friday.
Lockdown restrictions have been eased around the world, but the number of travelers is way down, partly because many countries require visitors to quarantine themselves for a number of days upon arrival.
There are fears that the resurgence of the virus, particularly in Europe, will further hit the sector. The World Travel & Tourism Council said prolonged travel restrictions could eliminate USD 4.7 trillion in the sector's contribution to global GDP this year, a 53 per cent reduction from 2019.
“The sector's recovery will be delayed even further, with more jobs lost, unless quarantines are replaced with rapid, cost-effective testing at airports on departure, and air corridors," WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said.
“The longer we wait, the more the ailing travel and tourism sector faces total collapse,” she added.