COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on tourism

Without a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic has had the most significant impact on global travel this century. In 2019, Europe had reached an all-time high in terms of international visitors, receiving an unprecedented 579 million travelers that year. In 2020, European traveler numbers painted a very different picture, dropping to well under 200 million arrivals. By comparison, the SARS epidemic barely made a dent in 2003 and, although the global financial crisis was clearly responsible for a decrease in 2008 and 2009, this was nothing compared to the catastrophic fall in international arrivals Europe has seen in 2020. As the European travel and tourism sector shows strong signs of recovery, it is still too soon to tell if and when the number of international visitors to Europe will match the 2019 levels again.