Britain's economy will lose £ 22 billion in 2020 due to the pandemic's impact on tourism and business travel, which could threaten three million jobs, the World Travel and Travel Council warned on Wednesday. tourism (WTTC). The country, which has suffered from confinement for months, remains deprived of the majority of its foreign tourists who are reluctant to travel for fear of contracting the virus or are discouraged by the quarantine targeting, for example, travelers from Spain and of France. The London-based WTTC, responsible for defending the interests of the sector, estimates that spending by international visitors will fall by 78% in 2020 compared to 2019, or 60 million pounds per day, 420 million per week or 22 billion on l 'year.
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Tourism is a powerful sector in the UK. It generated a total of 200 billion pounds in 2019, or 9% of the economy, and represented 4 million jobs, or 11% of the total number of workers in the country. The Council warns that in a worst-case scenario some 3 million jobs could be at risk due to the collapse in tourism this year. London is particularly vulnerable as around 85% of tourist spending in the capital is made by foreigners. For Gloria Guevara, president of the WTTC, " it could take years " before the United Kingdom recovers the losses caused by the pandemic. The situation " could also threaten London's place as one of the top cities in the world for business or tourist travel, " she warns.
The WTTC is advocating for the end of quarantine measures and their replacement by testing programs to restore the confidence of travelers. " This investment will be much less than the impact of quarantines which have devastating socio-economic consequences ", according to Gloria Guevara. VisitBritain, the UK tourism agency, said on Tuesday it expects 2020 visitors to drop 73% to 11 million, as well as cut spending by 79%. to 6 billion pounds, a shortfall of 24 billion.
