UNWTO sees drop in leisure travel
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The United Nations World Tourism Organization has said that international vacation travel could drop up to 2% this year as the economic crisis worsens.
An Associated Press report, quoting Talib Rifai, secretary general of the UNWTO, said Europe would likely see the largest drop in visitors, but that small countries dependent on foreign spending might suffer most.
“This is not a tourism crisis. It’s an economic crisis that spills over into tourism,” Rifai was quoted saying.
Rifai had added that said Europe’s likely decline could be partially offset by a boon in new tourism from China. Some 45 million Chinese travelled abroad in 2008, and China hopes to double that number by 2012, the report said.
“Their government has said: We will send more tourists to Europe. We will help keep European tour operators strong.”
He said Europeans and Americans were also likely to keep their plans to travel abroad.
“In the past 20 years, travel has become more of a right; the right to move around, the right to relax.”
Approximately 924 million tourists travelled across international borders last year, according to Rifai. This was 2% more than the previous year, though the numbers fell sharply in the last six months.
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