Examples have been provided of how destinations hit by terrorism attacks, strange epidemics and even natural disasters like the tsunami have been able to bounce back within a short period of time of going through such issues and have been able to show positive tourism arrivals and receipts after just a very short time.
Almost everyone in the tourism value chain has acknowledged over the period that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been blistering through the world and taking along with it the hopes of any survival for tourism destinations and sites that have been devastated.
Speaking at the second edition of the GMA Webinar Series to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the events and hospitality industries, Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority revealed how the pandemic has negatively affected the tourism sector of the country.
According to him, “the tourism and hospitality industry which depends a lot on public gathering and the movement of people is currently one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. There have been impacts on both travel demand and accommodation bookings, domestic tourism and segments as diverse as cruises, cafes, convention, meetings, and festivals such as Kwahu Easter celebration were all cancelled due to COVID-19.”
He added that tourism which remains a key sub-sector that provides over 600, 000 direct and indirect jobs has to lay off workers due to the pandemic.
The industry is quite devastated and may need some help to survive. Globally, every destination is facing obliteration. Many airlines have stopped operating, countries have closed borders and local tourists’ sites have been closed to the public.