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Global Tourism Group Estimates 50 Million Jobs Could be Impacted
March 13, 2020
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has released an estimate of how profound the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak could be for the tourism industry. The organization, which consists of more than 200 companies around the world, said that as many as 50 million jobs could be impacted. The WTTC notes that both large corporations and small businesses face risks, and that the outbreak could lead to as much as 12 to 14 percent of tourism industry workers losing their jobs.
The WTTC’s president warned of a domino effect, where, for example, a canceled cruise trip results not just in the loss of income for the cruise liner, but a knock-on effect of food not being purchased.
The organization called for a multi-prong solution, focusing not just on destinations ramping up their marketing efforts, but governments making travel more attractive by streamlining visa processes and reducing or eliminating hospitality taxes.
