Global international tourism receipts 2006-2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic turned travel and tourism upside down in 2020. That year, governments worldwide implemented lockdowns and emergency restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to the impact of the health crisis, global international tourism receipts decreased by roughly 63 percent in 2020 over the previous year, amounting to around 538 billion U.S. dollars. In 2019, inbound tourism receipts worldwide peaked at approximately 1.47 trillion U.S. dollars.

COVID-19 impact on international tourism worldwide

As a result of the pandemic, international tourist arrivals worldwide reached around 399 million in 2020, the lowest figure recorded since 1989. In Europe - the most visited global region by international travelers - inbound arrivals decreased by 68 percent that year, passing from over 746 million in 2019 to nearly 236 million in 2020.

Total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP

When looking at the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP, the United States and China stand out in the global picture. However, as the pandemic hit these industries hard in 2020, both countries reported a dramatic drop in travel & tourism contribution to national GDP that year. In total, travel and tourism industries in the U.S. contributed 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020, while China placed second in the global ranking, with 667 billion U.S. dollars.