a year full of new challenges, insecurities and impairments, worries, dreams and hopes is coming to an end, a year that has demanded a lot from each of us.

But it was also a year of great and wonderful solidarity and unimagined creativity.

Together with these positive experiences, we want to look forward optimistically to the future and look forward to a happy and healthy year 2021.

Research undertaken by ForwardKeys, the travel analytics firm, reveals that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent collapse in aviation, there has been a last-minute surge in flight bookings for the Christmas period. In a normal year, tickets issued for travel in the week before Christmas tend to grow progressively throughout the year. However, in 2020, the pattern has been different, with a late rush taking place during November.

GBTA Poll: In-Person Business Meetings and Events To Surge In 2021
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, has released the results of its latest COVID-19 Member Poll.
The survey – the 14th such poll by GBTA since the onset of the pandemic to measure the impact on business travel – finds that a majority of respondents are optimistic that the travel industry will begin to rebound in mid to late 2021 and that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is top of mind for many business travel professionals.

International arrivals fell by 72% over the first ten months of 2020, with restrictions on travel, low consumer confidence and a global struggle to contain the COVID-19 virus, all contributing to the worst year on record in the history of tourism.
According to the latest tourism data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), destinations welcomed 900 million fewer international tourists between January and October when compared with the same period of 2019. This translates into a loss of US$ 935 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than 10 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis.

in the new normal of COVID-19, says GlobalData
Saudi Arabia claims it remains on track to reach its ambitious target of welcoming 100 million tourists annually by 2030.This would mean a near six-fold increase in tourist arrivals over the next 11 years, from the 17 million visitors the country welcomed in 2019, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
An increase on this scale now appears overly ambitious, with the massive impact that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had on global travel and tourism. GlobalData forecasts that Saudi Arabia’s international arrivals will reach 21 million by 2024, and therefore, an increase to 100 million by 2030 remains very challenging in the current climate.

In a joint statement issued today, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) highlight the importance of the cruise sector for the world economy.
According to industry data, the cruise sector supports 1.2 million jobs and contributes US$150 billion to the global economy every year. Tourism is vitally important for Small Islands States, where it sustains millions of livelihoods and brings substantial socio-economic benefits.