World Tourism Organization Research Articles

The Contribution of English Language Mastery toward Sustainable Tourism in Gorontalo

The main objective of this community service activity is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the Dumati village community in general about the importance of English language in relation to managing tourist objects. The future of the world tourism industry has such a bright prospect as stated by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), even the world tourism organization estimates that tourism will grow with an average growth of 4.2% per year. One of the regions that will experience the greatest growth rates are countries in Asia, including Indonesia. Of course, it is very important for the parties to receive foreign language assistance to the community in implementing the concept of tourism for the realization of sustainable tourism. And how to do it so that tourists do not experience language barriers so that sustainable tourism can be realized. The current community service uses focus group discussion and in-depth interviews that aims to develop the community’s awareness toward the importance of English language mastery as the key factor for sustainable tourism in Gorontalo. This activity received a very good response and went well. Dumati village officials and the village community were very enthusiastic about participating in this seminar, it was seen from the many people who participated by asking questions and discussing the concept of English language ​​that could be developed in the Embung Dumati tourism village. This community service is hoped to form basic information on how’s the community’s level of English and how to develop from there.

Tourism, hospitality, and DEA: Where do we come from and where do we go?

Abstract The primary goal of this paper is to present a literature survey on the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) in tourism and hospitality studies. The secondary goal is to categorize the studies by tourism products and tourism industries according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The tertiary goal is to identify the gaps and challenges in the field. The paper presents a comprehensive review of 350 tourism-related articles that use DEA methodology and highlights several key issues. The publications were statistically classified by methodological innovation, input-output variables, sources of publications, and several other relevant attributes. The investigation reveals the importance of the DEA methodology in the study of the productivity and efficiency of hospitality and tourism. The results also show a high degree of industrial (hotel sector) and geographical (Europe and Asia) concentration of studies. Cultural aspects, tourism sustainability, as well as the efficiency of tourism destinations, have attracted much interest recently. In addition, the new DEA models are increasingly gaining ground in the literature. Finally, the present review highlights the limitations of existing studies and provides important directions for future research.

Evolution of Hotel Classification System in Russian Federation

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the approaches to the system of classification of accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation. The United Nations World Tourism Organization pays great attention to the unification of classification systems for accommodation facilities in all countries of the world, issuing appropriate recommendations on tourism statistics systems, classification of economic activities, as well as criteria for interregional harmonization. In the Russian Federation, there are a number of laws, regulations, state standards, building and sanitary norms and rules concerning the classification of accommodation facilities. They are so imperfect that they have to be revised almost annually or even several times a year. The general statistics of accommodation facilities currently do not correspond to world recommendations. The classification system needs to be revised and brought into line with international standards as much as possible.

Perspectives of globalization and tourism as drivers of ecological footprint in top 10 destination economies.

Beyond the anticipated experience associated with tourism destinations, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has further tasked (especially the destination countries) on the importance of tourism to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From this dimension, this study employed the ecological footprint of the 10 most visited countries (France, Spain, United States, China, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand) over the period 1995-2016. Specifically, the study employed an econometric approach and found that increase in tourism arrivals and globalization is detrimental to the attainment of sustainable environmental quality in a long term. Precisely, a 1% increase in international arrivals and globalization is responsible for a 0.18 and 0.89% increase in ecological footprint in the long-run. These impacts of tourism activities and globalization are detrimental to the environmental quality of the destination countries. Meanwhile, the real income per capita and biocapacity in the destination countries improve the environmental quality of the panel of destination countries in the long-run. In addition, the study found significant evidence of Granger causality from tourism and real income to ecological footprint without feedback, the globalization-ecological footprint Granger causality nexus is with feedback. Moreover, potentially effective policies for government and other stakeholders especially toward attaining Global goals were proffered in the study.

Functional Study Of The Impact Of Tourism On The Economy

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy. Its comprehensive development is becoming a major source of income for many countries. With the development of society, more and more people on the planet are attracted to tourism. Today, tourism is a fast-growing socio-economic sector in many countries. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) estimates that 100 tourists visiting a developed city spend about $ 20,000, or about $ 200 a day for each tourist. For comparison, in order to get this amount of profit, even a developed country will have to export at least 1 ton of cotton or 2 tons of wheat to the world market.

LOS ODS Y DERECHOS HUMANOS EN LA AGENDA 2030 UNA REVISIÓN DOCUMENTAL DE LOS TEMAS DE TURISMO E INCLUSIÓN LGBT DE PANAMÁ

El turismo LGBT reporta un indudable crecimiento en el mercado turístico mundial, y en Panamá el debate sobre su desarrollo está, como en otros países, vinculado a la discusión sobre los derechos de la comunidad LGBT; en este artículo se aborda el tema desde la revisión documental de la Agenda 2030, los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible ODS y los Reportes Globales en Turismo LGBT de la Organización Mundial del Turismo y la International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Las evidencias empíricas apuntan que si bien es cierto que la comunidad LGBT ha venido ganando espacios como comunidad, en materia de derechos humanos, la Agenda 2030 y los reportes de la OMT, realmente es una comunidad que no está totalmente visibilizada y es más bien visto como un segmento de mercado emergente del Turismo que, de ser aprovechado podría repercutir positivamente en las economías de los destinos abiertos para su desarrollo, pero que habría que tomar en cuenta cual podría ser el impacto en otras áreas de las sociedades donde se desarrolla. También en esta investigación se ve con claridad que, si hoy en día está muy en boga todo lo relativo a la inclusión social e igualdad de género, pareciera que aun la globalidad no está preparada para asumir y consolidar el Turismo LGBT, ya que, aunque ha tenido un repunte, solo se manifiesta en destinos específicos con lugares, actividades y servicios especializados solo para ese segmento, que al reivindicarse en sus derechos no deja de excluirse del resto.

Assessing universal accessibility in Spanish beaches

Accessible tourism constitutes a current social priority for the World Tourism Organization and the European Network for Accessible Tourism. Trips to the beach are beneficial in terms of improved health and psychological well-being. They form an integral part of life in Spain, a country with the world's second highest number of tourist visitors and more than 3500 beaches. However, Spain does not have a common beach accessibility management policy. In this study, an analysis is made of the actual universal accessibility conditions of a selected sample of Spanish urban and semi-urban beaches which have received the most widely recognized quality certificates/awards for beaches: UNE 170001 Universal Accessibility Certification, Blue Flag, Blue Flag – Inclusive Beach, and Q for Quality Tourism. Beach evaluation was made through the development of a Beach Accessibility Index (BAI) on the basis of three categories: Equipment and infrastructures, Services, and Management. The main results indicate that Spanish beaches have universal accessibility needs that require improvement, with Management the most precarious aspect. None of the certificates/awards guarantee minimum universal accessibility conditions, although the best results were obtained for the UNE 170001 Universal Accessibility Certification. While examples of good practice do exist at local level, the results clearly suggest that a national approach is needed to standardize accessibility criteria.

The structural changes of a local tourism network: comparison of before and after COVID-19

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic changes on a global scale. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (2020), the restricted movement that has arisen from the pandemic is expected to reduce the national tourist market to 180 million visitors, a 44% decrease from 2019. Subsequently, alternative tourist activities have been promoted to satisfy the suppressed demand. This study examined the structural changes of a local tourism network focusing on Gangwon Province, in the Republic of Korea, which has experienced a rise in tourist demand following the COVID-19 outbreak. This study composed a matrix using the movement patterns of tourists who visited Gangwon Province during corresponding periods before and after the outbreak and then conducted a network analysis. The results demonstrated that as tourists travelled, they focused their movements on local areas and simplified travel routes. Moreover, our findings revealed that the demand for tourism was concentrated on beaches, which previously tended towards a low tourism density. As COVID-19 is expected to become a pervasive reality for the foreseeable future, this empirical study on the corresponding changes in tourist behaviour has implications regarding the tourism industry’s direction.

From Liminal Labor to Decent Work: A Human-Centered Perspective on Sustainable Tourism Employment

In its sustainable tourism agenda for 2030, the UN World Tourism Organization has embraced three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One of these, specifically SDG 8, highlights the need to pursue decent work and growth. Nevertheless, despite the growing recognition of this target and although there is a growing number of writings lamenting the precarity characterizing many tourism-related jobs, the topic of tourism-related work continues to receive sparse attention in the considerable volume of academic literature on tourism and sustainability. This paper attempts to redress this neglect. First, by providing a review of extant studies on tourism labor, we seek to explain why this research lacuna continues to exist. We then examine organizational and technological aspects of tourism governance, which hinder attempts to establish decent work and improve dignity in the tourism industry worldwide. By acknowledging the volatile and liminal status of tourism work and future labor market prospects, we arrive at the following question: what should sustainable tourism work look like? This leads us to suggest that the development of a human-centered research agenda, which focuses on workers’ agency and resources, offers a promising research avenue for expanding on the tourism and sustainability research agenda.

ДЕРЖАВНА ПІДТРИМКА БІЗНЕСУ В УМОВАХ ВИКЛИКІВ ХХІ СТОЛІТТЯ

The article analyzes the current state of the tourism business market. Crisis phenomena in tourism caused by COVID-19 are considered. It is noted that the outbreak of coronavirus has caused a significant blow to the world economy and as a result it affects key sectors of the economy. According to experts, the current crisis has a much greater sudden financial impact than on September 11 and the crisis of 2009 combined. It was found that according to UN WTO forecasts in 2020 the number of international tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic decreased by 20-30% compared to 2019. According to the updated IMF forecast, in 2020 world GDP will shrink by 4.9%, the world economy will lose $ 12.5 trillion. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is calling for more funds to rehabilitate and support the tourism industry so that it can become a leader in economic recovery. The purpose of the measures implemented by governments during this difficult period can be divided into the following categories: to ensure a balance between the protection of tourists and the interests of tourism workers; provide conditions for business survival and targeted support and recovery of the tourism sector. Most countries focus on both approaches. Countries with more developed economies rely mainly on affordable credit lines which will restore the competitiveness of the national economy in a short period of time. Other countries are focusing on delaying tax and debt obligations, which could negatively affect the economy in the long run and lead to long-term budget deficits and general solvency problems. In order to stabilize the economic situation, governments adopt a range of both monetary and fiscal measures that can partially provide the conditions for business survival, as the tourism industry can become one of the drivers that helps the economy emerge from the crisis and can quickly create new jobs after crisis situations. Therefore, it is important that the measures taken by states to support the tourism business, the implementation of which will reduce the level of negative impact of the pandemic on the economy of the tourism industry.

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ СЕЛЬСКОГО ТУРИЗМА В РОССИИ

The development of rural tourism is a global trend. In order to support this trend, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has declared 2020 the year of rural and eco-tourism, which has attracted the attention of travelers to the countryside and will entail the development of rural areas. For Russia, the development of this area is becoming particularly relevant, which is due to the need to diversify the rural economy, the desire to increase employment and sources of income of the rural population, overcome rural poverty, and attract investment to improve infrastructure in rural areas. It is determined that a significant constraint on the development of the sub-sector is the imperfection of the regulatory framework and the vagueness of direct state support, legislation in the field of rural tourism is only being formed, the existing assistance measures do not meet the request of society. The prospects of rural tourism are connected with the process of active formation of the institutional environment and the development of tools for targeted state support. The paper notes that the main directions of development of the sub-sector will be determined by the national project “Tourism and Hospitality”. As new tools for the development of the direction are grants “Agrotourism”, concessional lending at the rate of 3-5% per annum, cashback for tours in Russia. The new impetus to realize the potential of agrotourism is associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the demand for domestic travel. As conclusions, the need to improve the system of state regulation and support for the development of rural tourism is established and the main measures that will contribute to the realization of the potential of this type of non-agricultural activity as a promising direction for sustainable development of rural areas are identified

Specifics of the Tax System to Support Tourism before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from South American Countries

Research background:Following the global trends concerning “tourism taxation,” South American governments identified and applied policies on taxation to raise revenues or fiscal relaxation measures to support their tourism sectors as strategies to increase its number of tourists, competitiveness, and the attractiveness of its destinations. Due to the COVID-19 threat, several countries have been forced to turn to emergency tax breaks and temporary changes in taxation measures.Purpose of the article:This research aims to determine which taxes, fees, and charges that affect the tourism sector in South American countries have been reduced/removed as a short-term measure to support tourism during the COVID-19 crisis.Methods:The paper is structured from deductive reasoning, which moves from a general to a more specific analysis. First, a basic description of the tax system’s specifications that affect South America’s tourism sector is presented based on comparative information in the form of an inventory of tourism-related taxes, based on an analytical study. With data obtained from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and other international organizations which are tracking the policies’ responses to COVID-19, an assessment of the key policy responses from these countries related to “tourism taxation” will be made and compared with other regions.Findings & Value added:The contribution presented focuses on exploring and describing the role of taxes used as a measure to support the tourism sector. Then, the tax incentives/reduction or removal made as a government response to the coronavirus pandemic threat and its possible impacts were analyzed. It also highlights recent trends and interesting practices in South America.

Сравнительный анализ законодательства в сфере туризма в Казахстане и Грузии

A modern world is impossible without human mobility. Tourism is one of its manifestations. According to the UN and several other international organizations, tourism is an effective measure to countercultural contradictions, national enmity, as well as human poverty, an instrument for exchanging cultural traditions and experiences. This article analyses the tourism legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Georgia to identify the strengths and weaknesses of such legislation and analyzes the impact of such legislation and other applied measures on the tourism industry of the country concerned. By applying the conceptual method, the international treaty base was studied within the framework of the UN World Tourism Organization. The study revealed the positive and negative aspects of the legislation in both countries, identified priority areas of tourism in such countries, and recommended the addition of existing legislation with relevant provisions that are assessed as necessary, effective, and inherent.

Challenges of Halal Tourism During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Semarang City

Halal tourism is tourism based on Islamic sharia values. As recommended by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), halal tourism places great emphasis on convenience, such as halal cuisine, worship facilities, and good management. The background of the existence of halal tourism is the number of Muslim tourists which has increased from year to year. Halal tourism aims to facilitate tourists to feel comfortable and still be able to fulfill their religious obligations, especially for Muslim. In its progress, the implementation of halal tourism has experienced ups and downs. Many challenges arise both from internal and external factors. There needs to be a significant improvement and development of this so that it can still exist even in difficult conditions, such as the Covid-19 pandemic which is still ongoing today. This research uses mixed methods, namely quantitative and qualitative method. Collecting data using observation techniques, interviews, and questionnaires. Data analysis used statistical analysis, by processing respondents' answers from questionnaires which distributed by online. The research results are many challenges that arise in the application of halal tourism in the city of Semarang.

Innovation development and entrepreneurship management in tourism of Azerbaijan: current trends and priorities

The article examines modern trends and priority areas of innovation development of entrepreneurship in tourism of Azerbaijan, considering national peculiarities and European trends in the tourism market. The author focused on the importance of tourism, its accessibility, and socially responsible entrepreneurship in tourism services in the sustainable development of society and the achievement of its goals. The economic effect from the tourism sector development was substantiated. Special emphasis was placed on the role and key aspects of tourism digitalization and management innovations in tourism services. At the same time, the systematization of scientific research and developments on these issues indicated the absence of a unified approach to assessing the impact of the innovation development of entrepreneurship in the tourism sector on the country's macro indicators. The main aim of the article is to study, on the one hand, the impact of increasing the tourism development level on economic growth, and on the other, innovation activity on the competitiveness of the tourism sector (based on the experience of the EU countries and Azerbaijan). The information base contains statistical and analytical data of the World Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization, World Tourism Organization, World Economic Forum. The work analyzed the main trends of the tourism services market to achieve the set goals. A SWOT analysis was carried out to determine the market's strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The key directions in the management of innovation development of entrepreneurship in tourism were characterized based on the assertion of the need to promote successful innovations in tourism and the entrepreneurial ecosystem through the stakeholders' interaction. Special attention was paid to the growing role of the state in increasing the innovation activity of tourism entrepreneurship, especially in the face of the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arellano-Bond dynamic regression model for assessing panel data was built to empirically confirm and formalize the positive impact of the tourism development increase (based on the indicators of the share of the revenue from tourism services in total exports, the number of tourists arriving, and the number of tourist departures) on the economic growth of EU countries and Azerbaijan (expressed in GDP per capita growth). Its quality was checked using the Sargan test employing the STATA 14.2 software package. The interrelation of the studied indicators was preliminarily characterized according to the correlation analysis (Shapiro-Wilk test, calculation of Pearson / Spearman correlation coefficients with time lags). A comparative correlation and regression analysis regarding the influence of the EU countries and Azerbaijan readiness for information and communication technologies and the innovation development in general on the tourism sector competitiveness of the countries was carried out. Attention is focused on the fact that one should not dwell only on innovations in ICT in tourism and its digitalization. It is necessary to develop financial, insurance, marketing, managerial, administrative, medical, socio-cultural, environmental, and other innovations in tourism, which today are closely connected and complementary to each other.

ИНДУСТРИЯ ТУРИЗМА: ПОТЕРИ И ПРИОБРЕТЕНИЯ В ПЕРИОД ПАНДЕМИИ

The pandemic of coronavirus COVID-19 showed the importance of the tourism industry for the economies of countries and the world economy as a whole. The tourism industry has suffered catastrophic damage, facing the most serious challenge of its existence. According to estimates by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism revenues in 2020 decreased by $1.3 trillion, which is 11 times higher than the losses from the 2009 crisis. UNWTO believes that the restoration of the sector will occur no earlier than 2023. According to Andrei Ignatiev, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), the Russian tourism industry has lost 1.5 trillion rubles due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole. Quite optimistic is the statement of the director of the Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) Maya Lomidze that the restoration of the industry is possible no earlier than the end of 2021 or mid-2022. Obviously, without state support and the continuation of measures already being implemented, it will be extremely problematic to get out of the crisis for this industry. Many participants in the tourism business managed to stay afloat thanks to the introduction and development of new digital platforms and immersive technologies. Today, due to restrictions on entry into many countries, the tourism business is expanding the opportunities associated with domestic tourism. But here there are a number of objective difficulties, such as the serious requirements of Rospotrebnadzor for accommodation facilities, sightseeing services, museums and cultural institutions, the lack of financial resources to ensure the requirements and others. But the increase in vaccination leads to an increase in the desire of consumers to travel, which requires a range of measures to develop measures to support tourism business entities and ensure travel safety, both within the framework of domestic tourism and on international trips.

The Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic and Recovery Strategies for the Travel and Tourism Sector in Bangladesh

Purpose: This study's purpose is twofold: first, to examine the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on Bangladesh's travel and tourism sector and second, to suggest some recovery strategies to reduce the negative effects of this pandemic so that the travel and tourism sector of Bangladesh can bounce back.
 Methods: This study is qualitative in nature, applying secondary data analysis technique to collect data from various sources, which includes academic journals, news articles, and websites of different professional bodies like the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Travel Owners Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), etc.
 Results: The findings indicate that Bangladesh's travel and tourism sector has been impacted considerably by the pandemic due to travel restrictions, movement control order, apprehension of Covid-19 contamination, etc. Some recovery strategies are also suggested to minimize the pandemic's detrimental consequences.
 Implications: This research provides guidelines for tourism marketers, which will help them to revise their strategies so that they will be able to remove anxiety from travelers’ minds and influence their visit intention.
 Originality: Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the travel and tourism sector have been an emergent research area since travel and tourism is one of the severely affected sectors during the pandemic. However, so far insufficient studies related to this area in the context of Bangladesh are available. Hence, this research is an attempt to bridge this gap in the literature.

ОСНОВНІ ЗДОБУТКИ ТА ПРОРАХУНКИ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ЮНВТО (1975-2020 РР.)

In this article, the main achievements and miscalculations of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from 1975 to 2020 are researched in detail. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialized intergovernmental institution of the United Nations system, which is responsible for promoting sustainable, responsible and sustainable development. Thus, the main goal of this organization is to promote tourism, which will make an invaluable contribution to economic prosperity, maintaining peace and international security, prosperity of states, respect and observance of human rights and freedoms in the world. By taking appropriate action, UNWTO is moving closer and closer to achieving this goal. Therefore, this article traces the statistics of the growth of the level of international tourism in all regions of the world during the organization existence period and in recent years. In addition, the reverse process has been recorded, namely why 2020 is considered the worst year for tourism, and what losses follow when, for example, between 100 and 120 million workers in the tourism industry have lost their jobs. The work also depicts the creation of the regulatory framework of the Organization, which is undoubtedly an achievement. It is impossible not to mention the agreement on the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), signed in 1976, the Manila Declaration on World Tourism in 1980, the Tourism Code in 1985, and so on. Also, the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics in Tourism and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals maximizes the socio-economic growth of the tourism industry. In addition to the adoption of important documents, it is also worth paying attention to the variety of activities of the Organization. Throughout its existence, UNWTO has held a large number of international forums, conferences, seminars, etc., from cultural to technical topics. These achievements are confirmed by the fact that international tourism has become one of the means of the countries’ economic growth. The achievements of this organization are also reflected in universal recognition, for example, 2002 was declared the International Year of Ecotourism, and 2017 – the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, during which a number of thematic events were held with a large number of people. In addition, Tourism Day is celebrated every year on September 27, which testifies to the popularity and importance of the industry for the world. Recognition is also evident through the cooperation of UNWTO with more than 200 international organizations, such as the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). However, despite the huge number of positives of the organization, there are still some miscalculations. This is the amount of membership fees and gaps in tourism statistics and classification. In general, UNWTO is the leading international intergovernmental organization on travel and tourism, whose main functions are to promote global tourism through planning, development of recommendations and direct assistance to member countries in increasing the tourist attractiveness of regions, given the economic benefits.

АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ И СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТРЕНДЫ РАЗВИТИЯ МЕЖДУНАРОДНОГО ТУРИЗМА С УЧЕТОМ МНОГОФАКТОРНОГО ВЛИЯНИЯ ПАНДЕМИИ COVID-19

This article is devoted to the study of the state of international tourism in the current epidemiological situation. The study determines the importance of development of the tourism industry in the world, analyzes the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international tourism industry, and examines the current trends in the sector. It was noted that the regions most vulnerable to changes in the tourism market are Asia and the Pacific (Macau (China), Fiji) and Europe (Spain, Croatia, Montenegro). It was emphasized that the measures taken by many States to support tourism during the pandemic period, such as the introduction of job protection programs, the development of training and retraining schemes aimed at developing new skills important in post-pandemic reality; payments to small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism industry, their exemption from taxes and fees, etc. It was concluded that the main trends in the tourist market at present are digitalization, individualization of travel, the predominance of local tourism. Priority tasks formulated by the World Tourism Organization are revealed, which should contribute to the restoration of the industry.

Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism Sector of Asia & Pacific Countries Evidence from 20 Asia-Pacific Countries

The present study examines the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism industry in selected countries of Asia & Pacific region, highlighting the effects on international tourist arrivals and tourist receipts, air reservation, hotel bookings and occupancy rates. Mainly, 20 Asian & Pacific countries (Australia, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam) were selected based on availability of data. The study mainly based on the secondary data collected from World Tourism Organization and World Travel and Tourism Council and employed a descriptive analysis to accomplish the objectives of the study. As the results indicates, international tourist arrivals at global level has decreased by 68.6% on average by 2020 compared to 2019. Moreover, international tourist arrivals to Europe, America and Middle East have shown a negligible increase during the first two months of 2020 and however, region-wise international tourist arrivals have sharply declined after February, 2020. In fact, Asia and the Pacific region which was first affected by the COVID-19 has reported the highest drop in tourist arrivals, which was -9% in January, 2020 and dropped further down to -98% by October, 2020.Massive drop in international tourist arrivals caused declining global earnings from tourism sector by USD 730 billion by August 2020 and this reduction is eight times higher than the income loss of 2009 during the global economic and financial crisis. The reduction of tourism receipts is more considerable in the second quarter compared to the first quarter in most of the countries and countries such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Malaysia have experienced 100% reduction in tourism receipts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the period in 2019. Apart from that, Asia and the Pacific region has reported the highest drop (-96%) in flight reservation by November 2020 compared to the previous year. Apart from that, the occupancy rate in 2020 has declined from 55% in January to 27% by March and has started increasing gradually after March. More specifically, the occupancy rate has increased from 29% in April, 2020 to 58% by October, 2020. Similarly, drop in hotel bookings has reached a bottom during April and May of 2020 and drop was more substantial in the regions such as Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia and the Pacific. Under this scenario, it is apparent that tourism sector of all Asia & Pacific countries have been severely affected by COVID-19 and therefore alternative revenue sources should be explored till the tourism sector re-emerged.