PATA’S REVISES FORECAST TO A 32% DECLINE IN VISITOR NUMBERS IN 2020

PATA’s latest forecast expects arrivals into and across
Asia-Pacific to fall by 16% in the best scenario
and 44% in the worst. Photo: TTG Asia

Newly updated forecasts from (PATA) has painted a likely 32% reduction in international visitor arrivals into and across Asia-Pacific this year, which brings visitor volume back to levels last seen in 2012.

Taking into account the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the volume of arrivals is now expected to be under 500 million this year

At this stage, PATA expects growth to resume in 2021, returning to forecast levels by 2023. However, this depends on how quickly and completely the pandemic is contained and controlled.

A more optimistic scenario suggests arrivals in 2020 will fall just 16% year-on-year while a pessimistic narrative predicts a reduction of approximately 44%.

The impacts are expected to be most severe in Asia, especially North-east Asia, which is now predicted to lose almost 51% of its visitor volume between 2019 and 2020 (most likely scenario), followed by South Asia with a reduction of 31%, and then South-east Asia with a 22% drop in visitor arrivals.

West Asia is projected to lose almost 6% in visitor arrivals, followed by the Pacific with a projected contraction of 18%, and the Americas with a loss of a little under 12%.

Recovery rates relative to 2019 are expected to occur in most destination regions/sub-regions in 2020, however, North-east Asia is likely to take a little longer and exceed the 2019 volume of arrivals in 2022.

The same is essentially true for visitor receipts as well as they are expected to drop by 27% between 2019 and 2020 under the most likely scenario, reducing to US$594 billion, significantly below the original 2020 forecast of US$811 billion.

Asia is expected to lose more than US$170 billion (-36%), with North-east Asia predicted to lose more than US$123 billion (-48%) under this most likely scenario, followed by South Asia with a US$13.3 billion loss (-33%) and South-east Asia with a US$34.6 billion shortfall (-20%). The Americas is projected to lose more than US$35 billion (-13%) and the Pacific US$18 billion (-18%).

Read the full article at TTG Asia: http://www.ttgasia.com/2020/04/23/patas-revises-forecast-to-a-32-decline-in-visitor-numbers-in-2020/

#AsiaPacific, #COVID19, #forecast, #internationalvisitorarrivals, #PATA

Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
c/o 3rd Floor, Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 154 Rama 1 Road
National Stadium, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Web: www.mekongtourism.org
Tel: +66 2038 5071-1
Mobile: +66 8555 44234, +66 8098 95853