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By Frank Martin

TTC Service.- The movement is slow, very careful and even full of fear. But world tourism has begun to move away from its most unique and historical powerful tyrant: the new coronavirus.

Just three months ago, Covid-19 invaded planet Earth.

According to the World Tourism Organization states in April 100% of world destinations continued to have travel restrictions, and 72% still did not open their borders to international tourism.

“Tourism has received the hardest blow from all the main economic sectors caused by the global pandemic”, the secretary general of that United Nations entity, Zurab Pololikashvili, said.

However, the world is already beginning to take steps towards future, although they are still uncertain, practically those of a baby learning to walk.

In China, this movement is visible

Statistics indicate that Chinese tourists made more than 115 million national trips on May 1.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, tourist spending on that day amounted to 47.56 billion yuan (6.215 billion euros), undoubtedly reflecting a recovery.

For a giant like China, where the pandemic started dramatically, it is an initial and modest step.

According to official figures from the Asian country, that displacement in May 1 was 41% lower than the same day in 2019.

Revenues during that day reflected a contraction of almost 60% compared to last year.

Forza Italia
A country that suffered deeply, and suffers now, the Covid-19 pandemic is Italy. The human losses are terrible and the economic ones have been compared to a deep and dark hole that that nation will have to fill.

But the first Italian steps are already coming.

A tourist “bonus” has been announced in Rome to support the summer holidays on the peninsula.

The Tourism Minister announced that a package of measures is being prepared to lift a sector that accounts for 13% of Italian GDP.

However, he clarified that “they will be different, but there will be vacations”.

Italy recorded almost 50% more mortality because the Covid-19 that in any other month.

Austria then banned people from Italy from entering the country.

Slovenia also closed its border. Albania banned air and ferry traffic from Italy.

Many airlines canceled their flights to Italy before April 3. Germany, Britain and Ireland tightened their travel warnings to Italian territory.

Many analysts hope that such a nightmare is gradually being left behind.

The Spanish exit
In May, the Spanish government designed a four-phase de-escalation or transition plan for the pandemic.

Its organizers hope that it will last between six and eight weeks, and by the end of the period the so-called “new normal” will have been reached at the end of June.

The program has been designed to run in a gradual and coordinated manner.

Something foreseen is that small shops, restaurants and hotels can reopen, although with important limitations.

No one has said that things will suddenly improve.

The UN estimates are that the economic decline of the global tourism industry is between 60 to 80 percent when 2020 ends.

A decrease of 67 million international tourists was already registered during the first quarter of 2020 with a loss of 80 billion dollars in world income for that area.

According to the World Tourism Barometer, the greatest impact is registered by Asia and the Pacific, with a reduction of 33 million tourist arrivals, as well as the European continent with a lost volume of 22 million.

But the opening is already planned after the pandemic.

The gradual opening of international borders is said to occur on three dates.

It will start in July and will continue in September and December.

Humanity has come out of terrible tests although this of the Covid-19 is the worst crisis that international tourism has faced since the records began, in 1950 according to UN estimates.