The arrest of the travel pandemic that has affected tourism-dependent economies may just begin.
Tourist destinations from Thailand to Iceland hoped that Covid-19 vaccines would allow countries to reopen their borders and lead to a much-needed recovery in 2021. Now, with the delayed launch of the vaccine in some places and the emergence of new strains of the virus , it seems more likely that international travel could be blocked for years.
After declaring that 2020 was the worst year for recorded tourism, with one billion fewer international arrivals, the United Nations National Tourism Organization says the prospects for a return in 2021 have worsened. In October, 79% of experts surveyed by the agency believed that a return was possible in 2021. Only 50% said they believe in January, and about 41% do not believe that travel will reach pre-pandemic levels by 2024 or beyond. .
James Sowane, who owns a transportation company that serves tourists in Fiji, called a staff meeting earlier this month and told employees to start looking for other jobs. He recently took advantage of a government assistance program and brought back some laid-off workers, optimistic that vaccines could trigger a return to travel as early as April.
But now, Mr Sowane does not believe that tourists will return until next year, and he and his wife cannot afford to continue paying salaries to their company, Pacific Destinations Fiji. Borrow from his bank to keep a few basic employees.