Coronavirus: impact on the tourism industry worldwide - statistics & facts

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic not only had a significant impact on public health, it also severely affected one of the linchpins of the global economy: The tourism industry. As many countries introduced travel restrictions to contain the spread of the virus, domestic and international travel significantly declined in early 2020. The financial repercussions of the virus manifested later that year as the total travel and tourism spending worldwide more than halved between 2019 and 2020. Prior to the pandemic, leisure spending on travel and tourism across the globe amounted to nearly five trillion U.S. dollars and that figure fell to 2.33 trillion in 2020. There was also significant employment loss in the global travel and tourism sector in 2020 as an estimated 62 million people in this sector lost their jobs. By 2021, the sector had recouped some of its financial losses with a slight increase in the total gross domestic product (GDP) generated by travel and tourism worldwide.

The impact of COVID-19 on global tourism industries

The tourism industry incorporates many industries, including transportation, accommodation, travel companies, food and drink services, and more. All of these industries were impacted in some way by the pandemic. When it came to transportation, airlines saw an unprecedented drop in passengers due to travel bans and customer uncertainty. Meanwhile, hotel occupancy rates dropped across all regions worldwide in the first few months of 2020. In April of that year, the hotel occupancy rate in Europe saw the most dramatic effects of the virus, with occupancy rates falling to just 11 percent. Even the monthly change in short-term rental bookings made through travel companies such as Airbnb and Booking experienced record lows as late as December 2020. Affected not only by a loss of tourism but also local customers, the restaurant industry was hit hard too. In March 2020, the number of sit-down diners worldwide plummeted, a figure that has only recently returned to normalcy.

How will the tourism industry change as a result of COVID-19?

In order to survive, the tourism industry had to adapt to the new reality of the pandemic. For many of its segments, this meant embracing new technologies and innovations. In 2021, digital health passports were introduced to facilitate travel during the health crisis while minimizing the risk of spreading the virus. Nowadays, most people are ready and willing to get back into travelling. As of June 2022, the share of people planning domestic and international vacations in the next 12 months worldwide was over 50 percent. Another survey which examined the main reasons why countries avoided long-haul travel between May and August 2022 revealed that COVID-19 concerns were not the main reason for any of the countries polled. For those still uninterested in physical travel, virtual tourism may soon be a viable option. In 2021, the market size of the virtual tourism industry worldwide was estimated at five billion U.S. dollars and that figure was expected to exceed 24 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Nov 21, 2022

Key insights

Total leisure spending on travel and tourism worldwide
2.91tn USD
Share of the total gross domestic product (GDP) generated by travel and tourism worldwide
6.1%
Employment loss in the travel and tourism industry due to COVID-19 worldwide
62m jobs
Get more insights

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