World tourism body looks beyond 2009 woes

As the world faces one of the worst years in history for international tourism, ministers and representatives from 142 countries met in Astana to encourage people to travel again. Confidence in the sector is now being slightly bolstered by less negative figures.

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As the world faces one of the worst years in history for international tourism, ministers and representatives from 142 countries met in Astana to encourage people to travel again.

Confidence in the tourism industry is being slightly bolstered by Julys figures for international arrivals, as well as data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The secretary general ad interim of the United Nations World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) is predicting that tourism will pick up moderately next year after the economic crisis and the effects of the H1N1 flu virus.

Statements were made at the 18th General Assembly of the UNWTO in the Kazakh capital -- up to 1,300 people were in attendance at the opening ceremony.

Tourism data shows some moderation in the declining results of the first half of this year. In addition, a UNWTO panel of 250 experts expressed stronger confidence in the tourism market.

International arrivals declined by four per cent in July this year, a relative improvement when compared to decreases of ten per cent in May and seven per cent in June.

Europe, the globes largest tourism market, has been suffering the most in terms of international arrivals, while Africa has witnessed a growth in traffic of around four percent, although starting from a small base.


Tourism provides more than 75 million jobs globally; 30 percent of the worlds exports, which is equivalent to $1 trillion a year and accounts for up to 45 percent of the total exports of services in developing countries.




A sharp reduction in business activity, disposable income and a rise in unemployment, particularly in key source markets have hit tourism hard this year.

Global earnings from the sector have been suffering slightly more than arrivals, as consumers trade down, stay closer to home and travel for shorter periods.

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