Pandemic and the Collapse of International Tourism
- Cet article est une traduction de :
- Pandémie et effondrement du tourisme international [fr]
Texte intégral
1The map shows that the collapse in tourist numbers between 2019 and 2020 caused by the Covid-19 pandemic was not of the same magnitude in all regions and countries of the world.
- 1 What the metadata specifies: “The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arri (...)
2The data used was originally provided by the World Tourism Barometer and Statistical Annex, which has then been taken and reworked by the World Bank. The variable considered is international tourism, in terms of number of arrivals. According to the metadata of the World Bank, "international inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they usually reside, and outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited.” Although these figures have clear limitations1, we can nevertheless identify certain trends by mapping the data.
- 2 More precisely, “unincorporated and organized territory of the United States”. See Hervé Théry, “Le (...)
3The first is a decline in the number of tourists by an average of -70%, affecting all countries in the world, with one exception: the U.S. Virgin Islands, which have quadrupled their number of entries, thanks to their special status as an overseas territory of the United States2, which is confirmed by the score of the least affected territory, Puerto Rico (-21%).
4For all the others, the drop was brutal, reaching -93% for Hong Kong and Bermuda, -87% for Japan, and -86% for Singapore. Mediterranean destinations appear only slightly lower on the list of losses, almost -80% in Malta, -78% in Tunisia and Greece, -75% in Portugal, and -71% in Spain. In comparison, France seems less affected with "only" -46%.
5The graph from the World Tourism Barometer shows that it is indeed Asia that has seen the sharpest drop in the number of entries, with an almost complete disappearance of the boreal summer season.
6The map refines this perception by region as it reveals the situation of most countries in the world--both in absolute numbers and in percentages--in terms of the decrease in international tourist arrivals (size and color of the circles) and the relationship between them and the population of the country (color of the countries). It confirms that it is the Asian countries (especially China), and those around the Mediterranean that have suffered the worst losses. Western Europe, the Caribbean and the United States suffered less, and even less so in Eastern Europe and Mexico. South America and Africa have been little affected, as they receive few international tourists.
Notes
1 What the metadata specifies: “The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus, a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival. The data on inbound tourism show the arrivals of nonresident tourists (overnight visitors) at national borders. When data on international tourists are unavailable or incomplete, the data show the arrivals of international visitors, which include tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries.”
2 More precisely, “unincorporated and organized territory of the United States”. See Hervé Théry, “Les territoires ultramarins des États-Unis au cœur de la première ZEE mondiale,” Géoconfluences, April 2021, http://geoconfluences.ens-lyon.fr/informations-scientifiques/dossiers-regionaux/etats-unis-espaces-de-la-puissance-espaces-en-crises/articles-scientifiques/territoires-des-etats-unis
Haut de pageTable des illustrations
![]() |
|
---|---|
URL | http://0-journals-openedition-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/viatourism/docannexe/image/8665/img-1.jpg |
Fichier | image/jpeg, 208k |
![]() |
|
URL | http://0-journals-openedition-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/viatourism/docannexe/image/8665/img-2.png |
Fichier | image/png, 39k |
Pour citer cet article
Référence électronique
« Pandemic and the Collapse of International Tourism », Via [En ligne], 21 | 2022, mis en ligne le 22 août 2022, consulté le 17 février 2025. URL : http://0-journals-openedition-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/viatourism/8665 ; DOI : https://0-doi-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/10.4000/viatourism.8665
Haut de pageDroits d’auteur
Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.
Haut de page