Travel & Culture

World tourism gradually recovers amid global uncertainty

Published

2 years ago

06/06/2022

MNN

Travel and tourism contributed 21.7% to global gross domestic product in 2021

Global tourism has been facing the brunt of natural and man-made events, one after the other. However, it has the potential to grow to $8.6 trillion in 2022, according to an industry survey.

Travel and tourism contributed 21.7 percent to the global gross domestic product in 2021 after falling sharply in 2020 due to COVID-19, according to a joint survey by the World Travel & Tourism Council and Oxford Economics. According to the travel body, tourism growth this year holds tremendous potential.

Even as global tourism showed strong signs of recovery in January 2022 after reeling under COVID-related restrictions, the Russian invasion of Ukraine added to the uncertainty, the United Nations World Tourism Organization stated in a report.

The UN report stated that global international tourist arrivals more than doubled in January 2022, rising by 130 percent compared to January 2021. Around 18 million more tourists were recorded worldwide in March this year.

Despite these figures reflecting a positive trend, recovery halted indefinitely in the wake of Omicron and travel restrictions in several destinations. In January 2022, international arrivals remained 67 percent below pre-pandemic levels after declining 71 percent in 2021, according to the UN report.

In the same month, all regions performed significantly better than the corresponding month in 2021. Even as international arrivals were at around half the pre-pandemic levels, both Europe and the Americas continued to have the strongest turnout.

Changing travel dynamics

Although European arrivals increased by 199 percent and Americas by 97 percent, international arrivals remained below the pre-pandemic levels and declined by 53 percent and 52 percent, respectively, UNWTO explained.

Tourist arrivals in the Middle East grew by 89 percent and Africa by 51 percent in January 2022 compared to January 2022.

By the end of March, more than 10 COVID-restricted destinations had opened up, and a growing number of places eased or lifted travel curbs; it allowed the pent-up demand to be met.

However, the war on Ukraine severely dented global travel confidence and posed challenges to the global economy. As a result, international travel is at risk, putting the global economy at peril, the UNWTO said.

As the US and Asian source markets have been easing restrictions, they could be particularly impacted in travel to Europe since they have historically been more risk-averse.

Many European countries banned Russian carriers, which affected intra-Europe travel. It also increased the duration and cost of flights between Europe and East Asia due to detours, the report added.

Sojern Middle East and Africa Managing Director Stewart Smith

In 2020, Russia and Ukraine accounted for 3 percent of global tourism spending. UNWTO estimated that at least SR55.5 billion ($14 billion) in global tourism receipts would be lost if the conflict persists.

In an assessment by UNWTO on the impact of the war, it stated that “though it is early to assess the impact on international tourism, the military offensive of the Russian Federation on Ukraine represents a downside risk that could delay a still weak and uneven recovery of international tourism, despite the increasing number of destinations easing restrictions.”

On the road to recovery

Sojern Middle East and Africa Managing Director Stewart Smith said that the company had observed that neighboring countries in Eastern Europe provide aid and support to Ukraine rather than promoting their destinations to tourists.

Sojern, a digital marketing platform that both the UNWTO and the Pacific Asia Travel Association rely on for their travel and tourism recovery research, stated that flight searches for Asia-Pacific dropped 12 percent in 2022 compared to 2019.

Smith said that several destinations do not want to miss out on tourist opportunities during their peak season. Therefore, they continued to invest in tourism support, albeit less than usual.

Through co-op marketing, Sojern partnered with the Department of Culture and Tourism and demonstrated its commitment to supporting Abu Dhabi’s properties.

This year, the company saw a 2,000 percent increase in travel intent from Oceania, particularly Australia and New Zealand. However, there were more travel restrictions in that region than today, and it was much more difficult to travel to Europe from Oceania.

According to Sojern data, flight searches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa increased by 46 percent in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Also, year-over-year flight searches to Europe were more than 200 percent higher in March 2022 than they were at the corresponding time last year, Sojern reported.

While the conflict led to uncertainty, hotel and flight bookings in the first quarter of 2022 and April onwards showed continued promise.

Source: AN

Travel & Culture

MMPRC promotes Maldives at KITF

Published

7 days ago

26/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has begun promoting the Maldives in the Kazakistan International Travel Fair (KITF). A total of 17 companies within the Maldivian tourism industry have participated in the fair along with MMPRC.

KITF is a significant, well-renowned fair hosted in Central Asia since 2001. The fair serves as a crucial platform to expand tourism industries across the world, enhancing more opportunities within the field. This year, the fair is scheduled to be held from April 24 to 26.

MMPRC revealed that the expo intends to establish and bolster ties with Kazakistan and agents in the central region of Asia, while displaying various merchandise from representing the Maldives in a global manner. It further affirmed that maximum efforts will be exerted to provide tourists with the latest information and to showcase the destinations and previous experiences, aiming to attract more tourist arrivals. Additionally, it stated that opportunities are available to establish collaborative partnership ties.

The stand of the Maldives placed in the KITF represents the true sunny side of life. Emphasising the significance of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the MMPRC assured that it is actively involved in promoting and advertising the Maldives to the CIS region through various activities and events. It further stated the significance of using social media as a tool to advertise the Maldives and attract more viewers.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

1 week ago

24/04/2024

Ministry of Tourism has revealed more than 700,000 tourists have visited the country so far.

The latest statistics published by the tourism ministry show that a total of 728,950 tourist arrivals visited the Maldives between January 1 and April 21, which is an increase of 13.1% compared to the 644,721 arrivals during the same period last year. The statistics show that a total of 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives in January, 217,392 arrivals in February, 194,227 in March and 124,946 arrivals till April 21.

The latest updated report reveals that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals so far this year, with 77،709 visitors. Following China, the United Kingdom, and Russia along with Italy and Germany, stand out as the next highest sources of tourists, with 72,635 and 72,336, 66,170 and 57,321 arrivals, respectively. Currently, Maldives receives an average of 6451 tourists every day, which spend an average of 7.9 days in the country.

Aiming to expand the tourism industry, the bed capacity has been increased with a total of 62,232 beds. This includes resorts, guest houses, hotels and safaris as well.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldivian’s Male’-Colombo route launches on Thursday

Published

2 weeks ago

22/04/2024

Maldivian, the flag carrier of the Maldives, is set to launch flights to the Bandaranaike International Airport in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on Thursday.

The starting fare is USD 165, including a baggage allowance of 30 kilos and an attractive meal package.

According to Maldivian, it will operate two weekly flights on the Male’-Colombo route; on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The flight schedule is perfect for weekend getaways, allowing passengers to depart after work on Thursday and return on Saturday, maximizing their time in Sri Lanka without complicated itineraries.

The airline is offering exclusive benefits to customers from the Nawaloka Hospital. This includes:

Medical consultation and medical history evaluation (with a medical doctor)
Body mass index test and vision test
Dental check-ups
Consultation with clinical dietician
15% discount for laboratory tests (OPD basis)
5% discount for x-ray
Special discounted health screening packages

Unlike most budget carriers that focus on keeping fares low, Maldivian Airline goes the extra mile to enhance the travel experience, providing a complimentary meal on board, ensuring that passengers arrive in Colombo feeling satisfied and ready to explore.

The airline also offers an attractive offer of flying with a 30-kg baggage allowance for even the lowest fare of USD 165, eliminating the need to pay extra fees or travel light, ensuring travelers can pack everything they need for their trip within the limit, and avoid surprise baggage charges commonly imposed by budget airlines.

Th airline also offers elderly care and a seamless travel experience with multilingual staff, including Dhivehi and English speakers, ensuring clear communication and assistance for passengers of all levels of experience, making the journey comfortable and stress-free.

According to Maldivian, the new route to Colombo represents an exciting milestone for both Maldivian and the travelers seeking seamless connectivity between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The airline said the strategic expansion further solidifies Maldivian’s commitment to connecting the Maldives with key international destinations, enhancing travel options for passengers, and promoting cultural and economic exchanges.

Source(s): sun.mv