Road to Tourism Recovery after Covid-19

Road to Tourism Recovery after Covid-19
Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that the tourism industry is the most fickle economic sector affected by any passing wind. However, before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism was a significant sector contributing to 10% of the global Gross Domestic Product and more than 320 million jobs globally. Nevertheless, the Covid-19 pandemic was a massive blow to the industry as millions of individuals lost their job, the touristic areas suffered isolation and neglect, airlines could not fly, thus accumulating losses, and hotel owners could not maintain them, tour guides went hungry. Therefore, even though the industry is yet to recover, we ought to devise a plan to help the tourism industry recover sustainably to avoid future loss in case of an eventuality.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 1.5 billion people took foreign trips in 2019, compared to 1950, when 25 million people traveled (Behsudi, 2020). Thus, its contribution to the general revenue was too huge to be ignored. This translates into micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises being at risk. These enterprises primarily employ women and youth. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 54% of women in employment belong to the tourism and travel industry; thus, a recovery blueprint is needed.
In addition, countries dependent on tourism are feeling the impact of Covid-19 more than other economies. The tourism industry is primarily service-oriented, and physical contacts are necessary. Thus, travelers are more reserved when traveling as Covid-19 is transmitted through physical touch. Imagine a service provider on the sandy beaches of the Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles? Imagine the national parks of Africa and Asia? They depend on tourism for survival and to feed their families. The good food we eat when we travel, the culture, the meditation. All those people are jobless and at risk of abject poverty.
The tourism and travel industry also encourages the conservation and protection of endangered species. For instance, Diana Fossey was traveling and studying in Rwanda when she realized that mountain gorillas risk losing their habitat to human encroachment. Also, poaching reduced the mountain gorillas' population, thus choosing to act. She established the gorilla fund, an initiative to conserve and protect mountain gorillas (Jasmin, 2022). Today, many people travel to Rwanda to watch mountain gorillas and donate to the course of the gorilla. Imagine what would be a world without travel? Perhaps today, we would not have mountain gorillas. Unfortunately, the longer we take without traveling, the sooner we might lose another animal out there. It is time for action, ladies and gentlemen.
Notably, the health of a population is essential. Therefore, between 2019-2020, the UNWTO advised travelers to postpone their trips and not cancel. However, what they did not mention was until when? Then, people got tired of waiting and canceled the trip. As a result, the number of deaths and covid cases increased, making the whole world lockdown. No individual could travel from one town to another. We all know how tedious and traumatizing the experience was. After the introduction of vaccines and boosters, there ...