The travel pandemic that affected tourism-dependent economies can only begin.
Tourist destinations from Thailand to Iceland hoped that vaccines against Covid-19 would allow countries to reopen their borders and drive a much-needed recovery in 2021. Now, with the deployment of delayed vaccines in some places and the emergence of new virus strains, it seems more likely that international travel could be stopped for years.
After declaring that 2020 was the worst year for tourism, with one billion fewer international arrivals, the United Nations World Tourism Organization says the prospects for a 2021 rebound have worsened. In October, 79% of experts surveyed by the agency believed a 2021 rise was possible. Only 50% said they believed in January and 41% did not believe travel would reach pre-pandemic levels until 2024 or beyond.
James Sowane, owner of a transportation company that serves tourists in Fiji, convened a staff meeting earlier this month and told employees to start looking for other jobs. He recently took advantage of a government assistance program and had recovered some laid-off workers, optimistic that the vaccines could cause a bounce of travel as early as April.
But now, Mr Sowane does not believe tourists will return until next year and he and his wife cannot afford to continue paying salaries to his company, Pacific Destinations, Fiji. He is applying for loans from his bank to keep some basic employees.