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UNWTO wants to encourage domestic tourism to boost economies


Written by Frédéric Dubessy on Tuesday, September 15th 2020 à 14:32 | Read 346 times



France wants to seduce French tourists with the charm of its various destinations (photo: F.Dubessy)
France wants to seduce French tourists with the charm of its various destinations (photo: F.Dubessy)
WORLD. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) sees domestic tourism as "an interesting springboard for recovery from the economic and social effects of the Covid-19 pandemic" for both developed and developing countries.

In a briefing note published on Monday 14 September 2020, the Madrid-based UN agency stresses that it "expects domestic tourism to recover faster and with greater intensity than international travel".

Around 9 billion domestic tourism trips were recorded worldwide in 2018, six times more than the number of international tourist arrivals (1.4 billion in the same year). On the other hand, domestic tourism, in most destinations, "generates higher levels of revenue than international tourism" states the text. In OECD countries, it accounts for 75% of total tourism expenditure, and in the European Union, domestic tourism expenditure is estimated to be 1.8 times higher than expenditure on inbound tourism.

 

Actions by Italy and France highlighted

"UNWTO expects domestic tourism to recover faster and with greater intensity than international travel. Given its magnitude, domestic tourism can help many destinations recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic while saving jobs, protecting livelihoods and regaining the social benefits of tourism," says Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General.

The organisation endorses the marketing and promotional activities carried out by some destinations. For example, those that offer holiday bonuses to employees or vouchers and other financial incentives to travel within the country. The UNWTO cites Italy and its "Bonus Vacanze" distributed to households earning less than €40,000 a year in the form of vouchers of up to €500 to be spent on national tourist accommodation. And France with its #CétéJeVisiteLaFrance campaign highlighting the diversity of the country's destinations.



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