EFE
PARIS – Global tourism will have recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels by the end of the year, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), which, in a report published Monday, emphasizes the need for more sustainable models in terms of environmental impact and the involvement of all stakeholders.
The OECD highlights that international tourist arrivals in 2023 already surpassed 2019 figures, the year preceding the coronavirus crisis, in some countries, particularly in Europe.
Specifically, this occurred in Europe in Portugal, which received 19.4 million visitors last year, a 12.1% increase, as well as in France (7.8% more), Italy (4.4%), and Spain (2%), and also outside Europe in Colombia (33.6%) and Morocco (12.3%).
In general, major European destinations benefited in 2023 from domestic travel within the region, as well as from the favorable exchange rate of the dollar against the euro, which boosted visits from Americans.
The Ministry of Tourism revealed that the Dominican Republic has received almost 6 million visitors in just 6 months.
The country has received 5,950,726 visits in the first 6 months, representing an increase of 11% compared to the first half of 2023, 45% compared to 2022 and 43% compared to 2019.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the recovery is taking longer, largely because borders have reopened more recently, particularly in China.
This explains why, in 2023, the volume of foreign visitors remained well below 2019 levels in Australia (-24.1%), Japan (-21.4%), and New Zealand (-24%).
Various geopolitical crises are impacting tourist flows and the sector's economy. For example, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has left visitor arrivals in Finland (-22.3% at the end of 2023) and in other countries neighboring Russia and Ukraine far below pre-COVID levels.
A similar situation has occurred with Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli soil and the conflict in Gaza, which reduced arrivals to Israel by 33.9% last year.
In 2022, the number of international tourists worldwide was still 33% lower than in 2019. It's important to note that in 2020, the number had fallen by as much as 72%.
Across the OECD, while in 2019 the tourism sector represented 4.4% of gross domestic product (GDP), 6.9% of employment, and generated 20.4% of service exports, in 2020 its contribution to economic activity plummeted to 2.5% of GDP.
Two years later, the percentage had partially recovered to an average of 3.9%.
The authors of the study state that in the long term, tourism will continue to grow, creating "significant opportunities," but also presenting a series of challenges that policies must address to make it more sustainable and ensure that its benefits are more widely shared and outweigh the costs.
This requires adapting to an increasingly changing environment. Involve all stakeholders in "a common vision", diversify the offering, attract new markets and segments to emerging destinations and outside of peak periods.
Cover photo: Emerald Beach, Dominican Republic (archive).
