72% of world destinations have closed their borders to international tourism , which complicates travel for this summer. In fact, the total number of seats expected on international flights from May to June is 30% less than the same period last year, according to data from Turespaña. In total, there will be 23.1 million seats.

Some airlines have already started flying to European destinations (KLM announced it last week and Lufhtansa will start flying to Mallorca from June 1). The problem is that mobility is still restricted. Specifically, of the 217 tourist destinations around the world, a total of 156 (72%) have completely stopped international tourism , according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

In 25% of destinations, restrictions have been in place for at least three months , while in 40% of them restrictions started at least two years ago. According to UNWTO, no destination has so far lifted or eased travel restrictions.

According to the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, tourism has been the sector "hardest hit by this crisis", due to the closure of borders.

Few squares

In fact, according to Tourespaña, the total number of seats expected on international flights from May to July is 23.1 million, which represents a drop of 30.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Due to this border closure, and also the fear of flying to other countries and getting infected, passengers have fallen 23.2% so far this year.

The biggest drop is expected in May, with a decrease of 82.2% compared to the same month last year. There will only be 1.8 million seats. In June and July, the number of expected seats fell 12.9% (9.6 million) and 1.2% (11.7 million), respectively. The largest volume of seats is expected in the United Kingdom, with 5.3 million; Germany, with 3.6 million, and Italy, with 2.1 million. The first two are our main tourist source markets.

The fear of flying due to the pandemic is evident: from January to March, before restrictions and confinement began , passengers who have arrived in Spain on international flights have dropped 23.2% compared to the same period of the previous year. In March the fall was already 64.4%, when the state of alarm and restrictions on international flights began.

Safety within aircraft is one of the aspects that most worries the sector, since in a device it is more difficult to maintain a safety distance, and this measure is more difficult to apply in an aircraft since then they would have to fly with less half the normal fare and this would not be profitable for the company. Companies are looking for other ways to guarantee this security, other than social distance.

In fact, many passengers traveling on an Iberia-operated flight between Madrid and the Canary Islands have complained about the conditions in which they were flying. From Iberia they have indicated that "they have put in place all the necessary and required initiatives to protect customers and employees, recommended by regulatory bodies and by the industry."

For example, that passengers and crew wear a mask. Both the industry, with IATA in the lead, and the manufacturer Airbus, "have recently expressed that the blocking of the central seat is a measure that is not necessary to provide greater security, since the aircraft offers specific characteristics that make the risk of Contagion is low. Unlike other public transport, in the aircraft cabin the air is renewed every three minutes and the use of HEPA filters eliminates viruses and bacteria with an effectiveness of 99.99% ".

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