European Tourism and Coronavirus: 2020 losses and potential recovery

Large falls in European tourism in 2020 will be described and quantified, as well as the wider economic impacts, as the majority of countries have imposed strict restrictions on travel. As coronavirus has spread worldwide the majority of countries, including all major tourism destinations and source markets, have imposed harsh restrictions on travel. While these measures are beginning to combat contagion, significant disruption to economic and travel activity remains. There remains significant uncertainty in the duration of the restrictions and hence the magnitude of the declines and subsequent path to recovery, which is also linked to recovery in the wider economy. Tourism Economics’ latest forecasts and scenarios for growth in international and domestic travel activity in coming years will be discussed with a focus on European destinations.