The estimates on the losses of the global tourism industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic put out by the United Nation's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) earlier this month no longer reflect reality and will have to be revised, UNWTO spokesman Marcelo Risi told sputnik Saturday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2020) The estimates on the losses of the global tourism industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic put out by the United Nation's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) earlier this month no longer reflect reality and will have to be revised, UNWTO spokesman Marcelo Risi told sputnik Saturday.
UNWTO on March 5 published a report in which they said that global tourist arrivals in 2020 could decline by up to three percent, resulting in an estimated loss of $50 billion.
"These first assessments will certainly be revised because they were made before travel restrictions in the US and Europe, before the situation greatly affected Spain, France, and other countries," Risi told Sputnik.
Risi called on governments to include the tourism sector as the Primary focus of economic aid programs, as 80 percent of the profits made from tourism go to small and medium-sized businesses.
Seperately, the UNWTO on Saturday announced it will be suspending all events planned until April 30 and all work will be halted in the organization's headquarters in Spanish capital city Madrid.
The coronavirus situation in Spain is quickly deteriorating as more than 5,700 cases were reported as of Saturday, with about 180 deaths, mostly in Madrid.
The World Health Organization recently announced that Europe is now the epicenter of the spread, with Italy the most affected country outside China.
