The Philippines registered the third largest decline in tourist arrivals among developing countries in 2020, a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
The report showed tourist arrivals in the Philippines fell 84 percent, next to the 89 percent of Mongolia and 88 percent of China.
The Philippine decline is way above the global average decline of 74 percent.
The report added reduction in tourist arrivals across developing nations is relatively consistent, mostly between 60 and 80 percent.
“This shows that the greatest impact has fallen on developing countries,” it said.
Visitors to the Philippines in 2020 stood at 1.3 million.
Southeast Asia, where the Philippines is located, is among those identified as most affected regions. The others are Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, North Africa and South Asia.
“The COVID-19 (new coronavirus 2019) pandemic has been a health and economic crisis with devastating effects on developing countries, especially those dependent on tourism. As governments have attempted to protect their populations, lockdowns, quarantines, and major restrictions on national and international mobility were implemented. This, coupled with the decision of consumers to limit international travel resulted in a sharp contraction for the tourism sector with severe economic consequences, particularly on countries that rely on the sector,” it added.
The report noted in most developing countries, access to and distribution of vaccines is a limiting factor, and the virus continues to spread at an alarming rate in India, Brazil, and in many countries where tourism is important for people’s livelihood.
