The Covid-19 pandemic has been and remains a disaster for the tourism sector around the world, in particular due to the drastic drop in overseas travel.

Thus, 100 million jobs have been destroyed in this sector since the appearance of Covid-19, according to recent figures.

ANALYSIS

The terrible figure has just been published by the World Travel and Tourism Office: since the start of the pandemic, 100 million jobs in the tourism sector have been destroyed worldwide, including 62 million in the world. year 2020. According to this organization, this is partly the consequence of a 74% drop in trips abroad.

And the situation is not necessarily expected to improve immediately, as governments uncertain about considering a rapid reopening of borders demonstrate.

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Tourism SMEs affected

Recently, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, declared that it was impossible for him to say that the European borders would be reopened for the summer holidays.

Still, the cessation of tourism for many months is not a disaster only in Europe but in the whole world.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that internationally, four out of five workers have lost their jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises specializing in this activity.

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And for good reason: the various restrictive measures (confinements, quarantines when changing countries, closures of hotels, restaurants, museums, theaters) and the collapse of air traffic have been right to a multitude of small jobs.

The period was difficult for craftsmen, baggage handlers, beach attendants, rental companies, masseurs, guides, drivers ... Before 2020, it was estimated that 272 million people were able to live thanks to the activities induced by mass tourism.

This represented about 10% of the global wealth produced.

Too much dependency?

Poor countries are strongly affected because they have not been able to put in place social safety nets.

Some are also extremely dependent on tourism, such as the Bahamas, where 52% of jobs are linked to this sector.

A similar difficulty may have existed in Thailand, or even in Kenya.

But also within the European Union itself.

In Croatia, tourism accounts for 25% of jobs.

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In Greece and Malta, it is 22% and 21% respectively.

In the United States, around 3.5 million jobs have also been cut.

In Florida, the giant Disney is even forced to distribute meal packages to its former employees because its theme parks are closed.

Finally, in France, tourism accounts for 8.5% of the GDP.

Among its many objectives, the current vaccination campaign therefore also aims ... to save the summer.