Zurab Pololikashvili, o secretário-geral não descansa e segue viagens pela Europa que há 20 dias decidiu reabrir fronteiras dos 26 países. E coloca em evidência os agentes da Organiozação internacional para aujudar em todos os sentidos, inclusive financeiro. Prova disso é a destinação de recursos de empréstimos e financiamentos do Banco de Reconstrução. E o apelo é sempre o mesmo: devemos agir para salvar os negócios de turismo, preservando conceitos de saúde e sustentabilidade.

E já se dispõe de cálculos bem concretos sobre os prejuízos que as medidas restritivas causaram. Foi tão grande que passaram 3 vezes àqueeles sofridos durante a crise global de 2009. Pelo indicadior da entidade, a determinação de pandemia fechou 98% dos negócios turísticos, baseado sobre rendimentos de 2019 e só referentes ao mês de maio. Entre janeiro e maio já se somava a queda de 56%.

Mas há uma receita que os governos

e empresários do mundo devem seguir:

priorizar a saúde pública, proteger

os negócios e os empregos.

Dramatic fall in tourism places

millions of livelihoods at risk

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “This latest data makes clear the importance of restarting tourism as soon as it is safe to do so. The dramatic fall in international tourism places many millions of livelihoods at risk, including in developing countries. Governments in every world region have a dual responsibility: to prioritize public health while also protecting jobs and businesses. They also need to maintain the spirit of cooperation and solidarity that has defined our response to this shared challenge and refrain from making unilateral decisions that may undermine the trust and confidence we have been working so hard to build.”

Restart underway but confidence low

At the same time, UNWTO also notes signs of a gradual and cautious change in trend, most notably in the Northern Hemisphere and particularly following the opening of borders across the Schengen Zone of the European Union on 1 July.

While tourism is slowly returning in some destinations, the UNWTO Confidence Index has dropped to record lows, both for the evaluation of the period January-April 2020, and the prospects for May-August. Most members of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts expect international tourism to recover by the second half of 2021, followed by those who expect a rebound in the first part of next year. 

The group of global experts points to a series of downside risks such as travel restrictions and border shutdowns still in place in most destinations, major outbound markets such as the United States and China being at standstill, safety concerns associated with travel, the resurgence of the virus and risks of new lockdowns or curfews. Furthermore, concerns over a lack of reliable information and a deteriorating economic environment are indicated as factors weighing on consumer confidence.