organisations-operators

International arrivals fell by 72 per cent over the first ten months of 2020, with restrictions on travel, low consumer confidence and a global struggle to contain the Covid-19 virus, all contributing to the worst year on record in the history of tourism.
According to the latest tourism data from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), destinations welcomed 900 million fewer international tourists between January and October when compared with the same period of 2019.
This translates into a loss of US$935 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than ten times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis.
UNWTO secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “Since the start of this crisis, UNWTO has provided governments and businesses with trusted data showing the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global tourism.
“Even as the news of a vaccine boosts traveller confidence, there is still a long road to recovery.

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“We thus need to step up our efforts to safely open borders while supporting tourism jobs and businesses.
“It is ever clearer that tourism is one of the most affected sectors by this unprecedented crisis.”
Based on the current evidence, UNWTO expects international arrivals to decline by 70-75 per cent for the whole of 2020.
In this case, global tourism will have returned to levels of 30 years ago, with one billion fewer arrivals and a loss of some US$ 1.1 trillion in international tourism receipts.
This massive drop in tourism due to the pandemic could result in an economic loss of US$2 trillion in world GDP.
Asia and the Pacific, the first region to suffer the impact of the pandemic and the one with the highest level of travel restrictions to date, saw an 82 per cent decrease in arrivals in the first ten months of 2020.
The Middle East recorded a 73 per cent decline, while Africa saw a 69 per cent drop.
International arrivals in both Europe and the Americas declined by 68 per cent.
Europe recorded smaller decreases of 72 per cent and 76 per cent in September and October compared to other world regions, following the slight though short-lived recovery in the summer peak months of July and August.
The resurgence of the virus across the region has led to the reintroduction of some forms of travel restrictions.
However, Europe is the region in which more destinations (91 per cent as of November) have eased such restrictions, mainly among Schengen member states.
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On the Beach has reported total losses of £46 million for the year ended September 30th, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to take a huge toll on the sector.
The UK-based tour operator saw profits of £19 million the previous year.
Total revenue fell 76 per cent to £38 million.
Simon Cooper, chief executive of On the Beach, commented: “There is no doubt that 2020 has significantly impacted the entire global travel industry and that the effects of the pandemic will have lasting impacts on the way the industry conducts business for many years to come.

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“I am pleased to have witnessed and experienced the professionalism and resilience of our team members in coping and dealing with the many challenges that Covid-19 has presented and I would like to thank them, on behalf of the board, for all of their hard work for our customers.”
He added: “On the Beach continues to successfully build a leading position as more consumers discover the ease of use and vast choice of beach holidays across our platforms.
“The flexibility and asset light nature of our business model together with our recently strengthened balance sheet and the actions we have taken since the middle of March means we are well placed to capitalise on the inevitable structural changes in the market post Covid-19.
“As a result, the board continues to look to the future with confidence.”
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Businesses across Scotland are set to benefit from a new £185 million package of targeted Covid-19 support.
The announcement follows discussions with business groups and sees a wide range of sectors benefiting, from taxi drivers and arts venues to travel agents and hospitality.
In addition, there will be additional one-off payments to hospitality businesses in January to help them deal with the traditional post-Christmas dip in demand.
These will be of £2,000 or £3,000, depending on rateable value.
The package was announced by finance secretary, Kate Forbes, who also said she had written to the treasury calling for Scotland to receive its share of rates relief reimbursed by supermarkets “to ensure this is spent on those areas hardest hit as part of Scotland’s recovery from Covid-19”.

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The move was welcomed by the industry, which argued it should be extended to include the whole UK.
An ABTA spokessperson said: “We are pleased to hear that the Scottish government has listened to our calls for financial support for the travel industry.
“Scottish travel businesses have been struggling since the start of the pandemic – the restrictions on travel meaning they are unable to generate income, so this news will come as a relief to many ABTA members.
“It is also a really important move in supporting the Scottish economy, recognising that the outbound travel industry contributes £2 billion every year to the economy of Scotland and the role travel will play in the country’s economic recovery.”
The spokesperson added: “While this is great news to travel businesses in Scotland, we know that many of our members across the UK are currently still struggling to access the much-needed funds to keep them afloat.
“We will continue to make the case for travel businesses across all the UK with the appropriate administrations.”
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TUI Group has reported a total loss of €3.1 billion for financial 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the world.
The figure was a huge decline on the profit of €532 million seen last year.
The travel giant saw revenue of €7.9 billion, down 58 per cent from the €18.9 billion reported in 2019.
However, TUI sought to put a brave face on the results, arguing the corner had been turned at that next summer was looking a lot brighter.
The company said average prices were up 14 per cent for next year, while bookings were three per cent higher than for summer 2019.
Demand for travel is also rising, TUI said, with 50 per cent of the programme for May next year already booked.
TUI Group chief executive, Fritz Joussen, said: “The pandemic is not over, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and the prospects for tourism and for TUI are good.

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“The demand for holiday travel is there – consumers in all age groups say that travelling is one of the most missed activities for them in the Corona year.
“Next year will be a transition year for tourism, and 2022 is expected to see a return to pre-Corona levels.
“In particular, the holiday sector will recover faster than the sector as a whole.”
The first five months of the 2020 financial year (October 2019 to February 2020) were very successful for TUI, with a record booking increase of 14 per cent in January.
In mid-March, the group had to completely discontinue all travel activities due to a series of worldwide travel warnings.
The tourism group was only able to generate revenue again when it was able to fly its first holiday guests to Majorca in mid-June in a pilot project and a limited resumption of operations from July onwards.
Greece was particularly strong as a holiday destination in 2020.
Joussen added: “The rapid measures to cut costs and secure liquidity are important for the group.
“They are a stable foundation for the future.
“TUI was in perfect health before the crisis and we want to return to our former strength as quickly as possible.
“The market is intact, our business model is future-proof and customer demand is there.”
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The UK government and the EU must agree a deal over Brexit to save and secure thousands of jobs, argues the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
WTTC, which represents the global tourism private sector, has urged the two sides to come together to find a way to reach a consensus for a post-Brexit trade deal as talks enter their eleventh hour.
The plea comes as UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, is due to meet in Brussels with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to try to break the logjam.
WTTC says tourism businesses in the UK and across Europe could be in jeopardy and put at risk thousands of businesses and the jobs of those who depend upon them if there was failure to secure a way forward.
Before the pandemic outbreak, WTTC had warned that 300,000 tourism jobs in the UK and almost 400,000 across the EU could be at risk if the UK left without a deal.

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With a no deal Brexit, access to markets and the ability of business travellers and holidaymakers to move freely between the UK and the EU could be lost, creating complexity, cost and confusion and impeding seamless travel.
Flight connectivity is a major issue, with a UK-EU deal needed to replace the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement which allows UK airlines access to 27 EU states and 17 other countries, due to expire on December 31st.
While contingency measures are expected to enable flights to operate until a long-term deal can be reached, WTTC fears UK airlines could suffer if there is a no-deal Brexit.
Those already reliant upon traffic with Europe, are under huge pressure due to the impact of coronavirus travel restrictions, along with thousands of businesses throughout the tourism sector.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president, said: “We urge the UK government and the EU to put the interests of the tourism sector, as well as the livelihoods of millions of people who depend upon it, at the forefront of their minds when considering the implications of a no-deal.
“This has been an incredibly difficult year for the whole global tourism sector, which has left many businesses decimated and put millions of jobs at risk.
“WTTC fears if a Brexit trade deal cannot be reached, it could compound the already difficult situation and be even more disruptive to the tourism sector both here in the UK and across Europe.”
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