Newsstand - World Tourism Body Sees Ten Per Cent Fall In Air Travel This Year

World Tourism Body Sees Ten Per Cent Fall In Air Travel This Year


Air travel is set to drop by 10 per cent in 2002 following the attacks

on the United States last September 11, according to Graham Wason, vice-president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

But some destinations will benefit while others suffer, Wason at a tourism forum in Sofia. He described the crisis facing the industry as more serious than that which followed the Gulf War.

The drop in demand will mean 8.8 million jobs will be cut worldwide in the tourism industry, and 1.7 per cent of its consolidated gross domestic product (GDP) will be lost, according to Mr Wason.

The United States will suffer a 1.8 per cent drop in GDP and lose 1.1

million jobs because of the drop in air travel. The European Union will see a 1.9 per cent drop in GDP and the loss of 1.2 million jobs, the World Travel and Tourism Council forecasts.

Worldwide air travel has already seen a drop of 20 to 25 per cent in

business since the Sept 11 attacks, and the United States a 35 per cent drop.

"I think growth in 2002 will tend to be very flat," said Mr Wason, adding: "There will be a lot of destinations to lose more significantly than others, but some destinations are even benefiting from September 11."

Destinations 'which are perceived as being safer than others' will reap advantages, said Mr Wason, citing recent positive developments in Portugal's tourism as an example.

South Africa has also recently registered 'strong demand' among European and American tourists.

On the other hand, Turkey and Egypt have suffered as tourist destinations because they are considered very close to unstable areas.

http://news.airwise.com/stories/2002/01/1011043460.html

Global Tourism Outlook is Positive

HANOVER, Germany, Jan. 18 — The outlook for the global tourist industry remains positive despite fears the Sept. 11 attacks would decimate the sector, the head of the World Tourism Organization said on Friday. “There are signs everywhere of an improvement and there is therefore no need to revise down our long-term outlook,” said Francesco Frangialli, secretary general of the 139-member intergovernmental organization.

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY can expect up to one million job losses worldwide, but this was still a massive improvement on the nine million job losses originally forecast by the International Labor Organization, he said.

In the aftermath of the suicide hijack attacks on the United States, nervous travelers cancelled bookings and airlines fired thousands of employees.

Frangialli said his organization would stick to its long-term projections that the number of international tourist arrivals will top one billion by 2010, rising to over 1.5 billion trips abroad by 2020.

“The tourism sector performed worse than expected in 2001. There was stagnation at 700 million travelers, maybe small growth,” Frangialli said.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/690338.asp?0dm=C12PL

In spite what they are saying...FTs are still flying!