A third of the world's tourism destinations still closed, says UNWTO

Data from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show new strains of Covid-19 have prompted many governments to reverse efforts to ease travel restrictions. The UNWTO said total closures were “most prevalent in Asia and the Pacific and Europe”.

The UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report said: “As of the beginning of February, 32% of all destinations worldwide (69 in total) are completely closed for international tourism.

“Of these, around just over half (38 destinations) have been closed for at least 40 weeks. At the same time, 34% of worldwide destinations are now partially closed to international tourists.”

Analysis of the top 10 tourism source markets currently advising against non-essential travel abroad found they generated 44% of all international arrivals in 2018.

The research indicated a trend towards a “risk-based” approach to easing travel restrictions”.

“Growing numbers of destinations worldwide now require international tourists to present a negative PCR or antigen test upon arrival and also provide contact details for tracing purposes,” the report said.

“Indeed, 32% of all worldwide destinations now have the presentation of such tests as their main requirement for international arrivals often combined with quarantine, while the same amount have made tests a secondary or tertiary measure.”