120 million direct jobs in tourism at risk worldwide
Travel and tourism industry is the lifeblood of the Caribbean region. In fact, this part ofthe Americas has already been described as the most “tourism-dependent region” in the world. But because of the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the main source that pumps life into the pristine beaches for most islands went dry this year.
This is a drastic blow to the region, which has just set an all-time record for visitor arrivals in 2019, according to a report from the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization. Visitors totaled 31.5 million, the highest total in the region’s history.
As the region begins to restart its tourism economy along with most countries in the world, the United Nations (UN) has released its secretary-general’s recent policy brief, underscoring the importance of rebuilding the tourism sector in a way that is “safe, equitable and climate friendly.”
“Tourism is one of the world’s most important economic sectors,” said António Guterres, UN’s ninth secretary-general. “It employs one in every ten people on Earth and provides livelihoods to hundreds of millions more. It boosts economies and enables countries to thrive.”
In his policy brief, Guterres highlighted that “in the first five months of this year, international tourist arrivals decreased by more than half and some $320 billion dollars in exports from tourism were lost.”
In total, some 120 million direct jobs in tourism could be lost, and many come from the informal economy or in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Most of the employees or workers in these enterprises are women and young people.
A “safe, equitable and climate friendly” sector
In rebuilding tourism, Guterres emphasized that “sustainable and responsible travel is imperative to support the millions that depend on tourism for their livelihoods.”
Guterres focused on five priority areas to aid recovery and re-establish an industry that is safe for host communities, workers, and travellers.
The first one is the mitigation of the socio-economic impacts of the crisis, while zeoring in on women’s employment and economic security.
Secondly, Guterres suggests building resilience across the entire tourism sector.
The third one is maximizing technology throughout the industry, “by promoting innovation and investing in digital skills.”
His fourth point is to promote sustainability and green growth in managing the shift towards a resilient, carbon-neutral tourism sector.
And finally, he encourages that partnerships must be fostered to responsibly ease and lift travel restrictions in a coordinated manner to restart and transform tourism towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Let us ensure tourism regains its position as a provider of decent jobs, stable incomes and the protection of our cultural and natural heritage”, concluded the UN Secretary-General.
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