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Regional Department for Africa
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) was received today by H.M. King Felipe VI of Spain to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the tourism sector both nationally and internationally.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all destinations worldwide to introduce restrictions on travel, research by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has found. This represents the most severe restriction on international travel in history and no country has so far lifted restrictions introduced in response to the crisis.
Staying home today means traveling tomorrow: UNWTO’s key message, emphasizing our shared responsibility to put people first, to be patient and to prepare for the time when tourism can lead recovery efforts, has resonated around the world.
The Global Tourism Crisis Committee has united behind the World Tourism Organization’s rallying cry for governments to “go beyond words” and begin taking decisive action to safeguard the millions of jobs under threat as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scale of disruption caused by COVID-19 to global tourism is shown in a comprehensive new report on travel restrictions from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The landmark report, published at a time of unprecedented disruption for the sector, shows that almost all global destinations have imposed restrictions on travel since January 2020, including complete bans on all travel as they work to contain the pandemic.