New Delhi, Jan 31 With new restrictions being imposed across the world due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the trajectory of the tourism sector, especially international tourism, remains uncertain, according to the Economic Survey 2021-22 tabled in the Parliament on Monday.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a debilitating impact on travel and tourism everywhere, including in India, and the resumption of international tourism will continue to depend largely on a coordinated response among different countries, the Survey noted.
Citing the report of World Tourism Barometer of the United Nation's World Tourism Organization, the Survey said that international tourist arrivals (ITA) declined by 74 per cent globally in 2020 over the previous year, with restrictions on travel, low consumer confidence and a global struggle to contain the virus being the main reasons for the drop.
ITA had reached a total of 1.5 billion in 2019, which reduced to 381 million in 2020, leading to an estimated loss of $1.3 trillion in revenues, the Survey said.
"This weakness in international tourism continued in 2021. During the January-September period of last year, ITA worldwide was 20 per cent lower than the same period in 2020 and 64 per cent below 2019 levels," the Survey noted.
The Economic Survey said that India has transport bubbles with 35 nations at present. Under the arrangement, which is currently in its 15th phase, over 47,000 inbound and outbound flights have been operated as on December 31, 2021, carrying over 63.55 lakh passengers, said the Survey.
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