Covid tourism impact could top $4 trillion: UN

This aerial photo shows an empty Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand

The economic impact from the plunge in tourism since the pandemic emerged last year could top $4 trillion, a UN report said Wednesday. The joint report by the UN's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that the lack of widespread vaccination in developing countries was leading to mounting economic losses. ‘Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism's safe restart is critical to the recovery of jobs and generation of much-needed resources,’ UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement. He noted that many developing countries are highly dependent on international tourism.