Taking into account the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on 4 May 2023 the ending of the current Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for COVID-19. This marks a major milestone in the global effort to control the pandemic and acknowledges the progress made in managing the crisis.
More than three years have passed since the pandemic’s onset, and by now most destinations around the world have lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions on international tourism, which has contributed largely to the recovery of international tourism. This report seeks to summarize prior findings from the eleven UNWTO Reports on COVID-19-related Travel Restrictions – A Global Review for Tourism, focussing on the progress on travel restrictions and their link to sustainability and other relevant factors.
The previous eleven reports were created to assist the tourism sector in 217 destinations in their recovery efforts between April 2020 and November 2021. They offered an overview of government-imposed travel restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and examined factors influencing travel restrictions, such as tourism’s economic importance (T-GDP), the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and a specific Health and Hygiene Indicator (H&H). Destinations were grouped and analysed by economic blocs, including emerging and advanced economies, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), least developed countries (LDCs), and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), enabling deeper analysis of the relationship between travel restrictions and sustainability issues.
The findings revealed a dynamic response from destinations worldwide. Those with better environmental performance, higher health and hygiene standards, and a greater reliance on tourism tended to lift travel restrictions earlier, promoting faster international tourism recovery. Conversely, emerging economies and SIDS often imposed full border closures more quickly, maintained them longer and introduced additional traveller requirements as COVID-19 response measures.
This report emphasizes prior findings and adopts a more comprehensive approach to investigate the factors essential to evidence-based international tourism recovery. Together with the preceding eleven reports, it provides a foundation for informed management of future pandemics by the tourism sector, as well as future reforms and policy actions in tourism development.
However, this analysis did not consider domestic tourism, which may have additional impacts on the recovery of the tourism sector. Reports suggest that domestic tourism experienced significant growth and might have influenced shifts in international travel behaviour. Additionally, the analysis did not account for factors such as inflation, labour shortages, escalating energy and fuel costs, increased living expenses and the intricate geopolitical landscape, all of which may influence the recovery of international tourism.
Taking into account the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on 4 May 2023 the ending of the current Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for COVID-19. This marks a major milestone in the global effort to control the pandemic and acknowledges the progress made in managing the crisis.
More than three years have passed since the pandemic’s onset, and by now most destinations around the world have lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions on international tourism, which has contributed largely to the recovery of international tourism. This report seeks to summarize prior findings from the eleven UNWTO Reports on COVID-19-related Travel Restrictions – A Global Review for Tourism, focussing on the progress on travel restrictions and their link to sustainability and other relevant factors.
The previous eleven reports were created to assist the tourism sector in 217 destinations in their recovery efforts between April 2020 and November 2021. They offered an overview of government-imposed travel restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and examined factors influencing travel restrictions, such as tourism’s economic importance (T-GDP), the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and a specific Health and Hygiene Indicator (H&H). Destinations were grouped and analysed by economic blocs, including emerging and advanced economies, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), least developed countries (LDCs), and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), enabling deeper analysis of the relationship between travel restrictions and sustainability issues.
The findings revealed a dynamic response from destinations worldwide. Those with better environmental performance, higher health and hygiene standards, and a greater reliance on tourism tended to lift travel restrictions earlier, promoting faster international tourism recovery. Conversely, emerging economies and SIDS often imposed full border closures more quickly, maintained them longer and introduced additional traveller requirements as COVID-19 response measures.
This report emphasizes prior findings and adopts a more comprehensive approach to investigate the factors essential to evidence-based international tourism recovery. Together with the preceding eleven reports, it provides a foundation for informed management of future pandemics by the tourism sector, as well as future reforms and policy actions in tourism development.
However, this analysis did not consider domestic tourism, which may have additional impacts on the recovery of the tourism sector. Reports suggest that domestic tourism experienced significant growth and might have influenced shifts in international travel behaviour. Additionally, the analysis did not account for factors such as inflation, labour shortages, escalating energy and fuel costs, increased living expenses and the intricate geopolitical landscape, all of which may influence the recovery of international tourism.
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