A very idle New York City this summer

Les Echos ran an article at the end of August talking about the deadly summer of urban tourism in France. Large cities had recorded lower than average occupancy rates because there werent any Asian, American or Russian tourists.

Some cities, such as Marseille in the south and Lille in the north, were able to attract local, French visitors to do better than originally expected. In Lille, for instance, 70% of the hotels were open, with an occupancy rate between 40 to 45%.

For Paris, the situation has been dire; it is, after all, the most visited city in the world.

The city lost 14 million visitors in the first six months of 2020 and occupancy rates stood at just 34% over the summer. During July and August, tourism professionals estimate a loss of 60% of normal earnings.

A very empty Champs-lyses, seen from Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France

At a global level, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reported that international arrivals fell 65% during the first six months in 2020 and from April to June, this figures rises to a whopping 95.2% reduction in arrivals.

As reported by The Telegraph, this amounts to a loss of 440 million international arrivals and about $460 billion in export revenues. This is five times the loss recorded in 2009 after the financial crisis.

Using data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Statista analysed which countries (with the largest economies) would be most affected by the tourism slump using data showing the dependence of GDP on tourism.

Mexico was on the top of the list because 15.5% of its GDP comes from tourist-related activities. Spain (14.3%) and Italy (13%) were second and third with China (11.3%) and Australia (10.8%) completing the top 5.

The U.S. was in 8th place. CNN reported that the impact on the worlds largest economy has been less significant because tourism only accounts for 8.6% of its GDP (including revenue from hotels, travel agents, airlines and restaurants).

Travelers from the U.S. are still able to visit Dubrovnik in Croatia

The Telegraph reported that whilst tourism contributes about 10% of global GDP (330 million jobs), some countries are more disproportionately affectedCaribbean countries offer the best example. Whilst many Caribbean economies are too small to make Statistas list, they will suffer.

The WTTC gives the nation of Antigua & Barbuda as having the highest share of tourism in the worldin 2019, 91% of employment was in the travel and tourism industry. Aruba is second (84%) with St Lucia coming in third at 78%.

In Asia, Macau is most affected (66%) with the Maldives at 60%.

In Europe, Croatia is first, because 20% of its GDP comes from tourism. Its hardly unsurprising then, that its borders remain open to travelers from the U.S., when it has so much more to lose by keeping them closed.

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Which Countries Did Worse In The Deadly Summer Of Tourism? - Forbes