AS THE WORLD TURNS: Canada among diminishing destinations still closed to tourism

On the first anniversary of the week that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) declared the global pandemic, the United Nations agency reports that one in three destinations worldwide – including Canada – are still completely closed to international tourism.

The data, which actually marks conditions at the beginning of February, suggests improving conditions from November, when the WTO said 43% of destinations were closed, but also warns that the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus have prompted many governments to reverse efforts to ease restrictions on travel.

The WTO says total closures to tourists are most prevalent in Asia and the Pacific and Europe, adding to the 32% of all destinations worldwide (69 in total) that are completely closed for international tourism. Of these, around just over half (38) have been closed for at least 40 weeks. At the same time, 34% of worldwide destinations are now partially closed to international tourists.

“Travel restrictions have been widely used to restrict the spread of the virus. Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognize that restrictions are just one part of the solution,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Polilikashvili said. “Their use must be based on the latest data and analysis and consistently reviewed so as to allow for the safe and responsible restart of a sector upon which many millions of businesses and jobs depend.”

The ninth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report shows that regional differences with regards to travel restrictions remain. Of the 69 destinations where borders are completely closed to tourists, 30 are in Asia and the Pacific, 15 are in Europe, 11 are in Africa, 10 are in the Americas, and three are in the Middle East.

At the same time, the UNWTO research also indicates a trend towards adopting a more nuanced, evidence and risk-based approach to implementing 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. 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.

The UNWTO also notes how different governments are issuing advice to their own citizens. 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. UNWTO notes that advice issued by governments will play a crucial role in the restart and recovery of tourism in the weeks and months ahead.

UNWTO combined figures suggest that 66% of global destinations have full or partial border closures. At its zenith last April, the UN agency said that number was 100%