During the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the world shut down its doors and tourists stayed home. The United Nations estimates the pandemic cost the global tourism sector $2 trillion in lost revenue, in 2021 alone.
But tourism is expected to rise by 30% this summer from pre-pandemic levels, though the sector will not fully recover until 2027. And – even amid unprecedented levels of street crime and homelessness – New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are among the top five tourist destinations on many travel lists.
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the global tourism sector had seen almost uninterrupted growth for decades. Since 1980, the number of international arrivals skyrocketed from 277 million to nearly 1.5 billion in 2019.
Speakers at the EMS briefing on June 23 addressed the questions of whether tourism can revive failing downtowns; whether much of the US tourism market is fueled by international travelers, primarily from Mexico, China, and India; and whether the industry can continue on its rosy growth trajectory and the factors allowing it to do so.
Cassandra Costello, Executive Vice President of the San Francisco Travel Association said at the meeting that she is optimistic about the development of San Francisco’s tourism industry in the next few years.
Costello said that tourism is an important part of San Francisco’s economy and the largest source of external income for San Francisco. She pointed out that the epidemic has dealt a major blow to San Francisco’s tourism industry, but the dawn of the industry is just around the corner.
“Visitors to San Francisco rose 29 percent last year to 21.9 million,” she said adding, “We have opened more than 1,000 outdoor restaurants in San Francisco, as well as the latest rooftop bars, restaurants and luxury boutique hotels.” Costello estimates in 2023, San Francisco’s leisure tourism industry will continue to recover steadily. The total number of tourists this year is expected to be nearly 24 million, and international tourists are expected to increase to 2 million.
She revealed that the top five markets for San Francisco tourism are Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and France. “India has always been an emerging market, where there is a lot of pent-up travel demand. She encouraged visitors to explore the diverse neighborhoods, cultural offerings, and culinary delights that San Francisco has to offer and is looking forward to international travelers reviving San Francisco’s tourism industry.
Dr. Frederic Dimanche, Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan University said, with WFH trends and a declining population that the industry is grappling with questions about the long-term impact of the pandemic on urban tourism and whether cities will be able to recover and thrive post-pandemic with the changing work-life dynamics.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Also Read: The Future of Tourism After COVID-19
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