Tourism for Inclusive Growth on World Tourism Day
Celebrating World Tourism Day
World Tourism Day is celebrated on 27th September and the theme for 2021 is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth“. This theme could not have been chosen at a more appropriate time, as the travel and tourism sector is struggling to retain it’s glory and get back on track. In line with this theme on World Tourism Day 2021, let us remember that the importance of this sector stretches far beyond merely providing people with an opportunity to take a break. It is one of the vital sectors that can ensure inclusive growth, channelizing resources to all quarters of society. In addition, students depend on the travel sector, particularly for higher education, and the pandemic also had a significant impact on students.
So, on this World Tourism Day, let us first examine how travel forms the backbone of the economy and the hurdles being faced by this sector for inclusive growth and otherwise on account of the pandemic.
See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees, ask for no security.
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Tourism – Backbone of the Economy
Tourism or the travel industry has been one of the leading units in the service sector since the early twentieth century and boomed during the 1950’s. it remains one of the highest and most dominant benefactors in the world economy contributing as high as 8.8 trillion dollars in 2018 which is equal to 10.4% of the world’s GDP. In total 90 million people have been employed in the tourism sector since the beginning of the last decade, suggesting inclusive growth on both humanitarian and economical levels.
The tourism industry also comprises several sub-sectors that contribute a perceptible amount to the profitable strata. The two most massive sub-sectors that the tourism industry embodies are the transport and the accommodation sectors which respectively include airline, railways, waterlines and hostels, hotels, resorts, bed, and breakfasts, etc.
The Pandemic Onslaught
With the pandemic surging a collapse of many small scale businesses, its impact on grand industries like tourism and travel is definitely not negligible. It was observed that the economic impact was directly proportional to people’s involvement as most were quarantined for an average of more than 9 months. With the commercial transport industry, a chief sector being on a cease, not only the transport sector but also the accommodation sector was massively impacted. Several countries like Thailand, Maldives and many countries in the European continent which are dependent on the travel industry – being the major contributor to their GDP – were dreadfully and dismally impacted.
Related Read: How to Avoid Crisis in Business? Lessons from the Pandemic
Impact on Students
The pandemic and it’s role in curtailing global and local travel has had a massive impact on students. Here are some snippets shared by various students.
Processing of Visas
Speaking to a few students who applied to universities outside their residential countries, they brought up concerns regarding the processing of visas, residential permits, as well as difficulty in finding accommodation as most landowners refrained from keeping international students and employees as tenants as the virus and its effects, dominated their sub-conscious.
Longer Flying Time
A student currently under graduating in the United States said “a normal fourteen-hour flight from India to the USA was prolonged to almost more than 24 hours due to thorough CPR tests and it would take hours for the results to come out, only post that we could board our next flights in case of connecting flights or leave the airports”.
Related Read: A poem on the journey from Home to Hostel
Procedural Hassles
Another student pursuing her undergraduate in Germany said “traveling was quite the hassle, from applying for a Student Visa to a dorm room at University, we as international students had to fulfill innumerable formalities and complete loads of paperwork “.
Related Read: Our collection of Top 10 young voices on International Youth Day
Impact on Commercial Transport
The way commercial transport functioned also drastically changed, with every train or aircraft allowed to accommodate at most half their passenger capacity, as the lockdowns loosened, more people needed to travel back to the workplace and because only a certain number of passengers were being allowed on the vehicle, aircraft were overworked, increasing functioning costs and still making losses as the passengers were relatively less in number.
Getting Back On Track for Inclusive Growth
The travel and tourism sector is critical for balancing the economic forces and we desperately need it to be thriving once again. Not only that, in light of the severe mental health challenges being faced by citizens all over the world, it can act as the silver lining that can provide a break, and, at least temporary mental relief for a lot of people.
On this World Tourism Day 2021, let us hope that the challenges to the travel and tourism sector and the impact on students are a thing of the past. We look forward to the times when we all can freely travel the way we used to, acting as a catalyst for inclusive growth and making the world one small global village, once again.
Related Read: You can read more about how we can build The One World of our dreams
About The Author
Titiksha Barapatre is currently a Psychology Honours student at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and is interning with From The Experts’ Mouth as a content creator and editor.
She is an avid writer and musician and has been a national level skater.
Nice one very enlightening
Very well written. You put a lot of time and effort into this and it shows. Good job!
Very Good work, the article is also very relevant with respect to present time as the sector has suffered a lot due to pandemic.
Keep writing on societies concerns!
Best wishes!
Very good and elegant write up. My best wishes for her future endeavours.
Very insightful analysis and fluid writing. Keep up the great work that you are doing, Titiksha!
Thankyou
Very well articulated, the concept of inclusiveness through the medium of travel has multiple aspects – economic, social and cultural.
Thankyou
Excellent foresight and good conception and clear view.
Thank you
“Tourism for Inclusive Growth” is indeed an appropriate theme for World Tourism Day as Covid-19 cause disaster for tourism industry from beginning. Each country is now trying to get back on track and support their tourism and travel sector to recover losses. Let’s hope for the positive news in the upcoming days from tourism industry.
Thank you
Well thought out and great analysis. On a similar topic, would be interesting to see any differences (and similarities) between business travel and personal travel.
Thank you
Great insight
Good Article. The dependencies of other industries on tourism industry is very well articulated. All the best Titiksha foe your upcoming articles.
Very nicely articulated. Good work!
Well articulated article Titiksha. If you can add the reduced effectiveness of students who enrolled but had to attend classes online, it will be great.
Overall, well put
Intresting read.
God bless
Well researched and articulated write up by Titiksha .. loved to read it.. keep writing All the best
Very nicely written!!! Keep it up Khushi
Very well written and researched article…keep up the good work titiksha 🙂
Very well written Khushi.
Keep writing more.
All the best.
Nicely articulated Titiksha. Well written!
Very aptly put by Titiksha on the basis of good Research work done by her. Well done.
Very interesting and informative would love to read more articles keep it up beta
Highly innovative and informative. Excellent work done.. Keep up the good work..
Articulated really well Titiksha !!! Well done !!
Very nice Titiksha…keep it up!
Well written Titiksha God bless you beta
Very apt and informative article.
Keep it up Titiksha.
I am so impressed and amazed by the way you have written it,good job kiddo,keep growing. Best of luck.
Very well penned …keep up the good work !!
To speak of inclusive growth at this tender age speaks volumes of the brilliant application of mind by the young author. Various aspects nicely covered. Good luck
Very well articulated! Shows her research and dedication behind it!!
Very informative and well researched article. Good work!!
Well written and very impressive… Keep it up Titiksha!!!
Thankyou
Very apt and informative article by Titiksha. Well researched & Impressive. Kudos!!
Thankyou
Well researched and written. Enjoyed reading it
Well done titiksha!!
well done Titiksha !! enjoyed reading it .. keep writing…
Well written Titiksha Barapatre. It reflect ur writing skills.It will surely boost up tourism industry.
Well written Titiksha
Keep soaring great heights
Very nicely written, Titiksha.
Loved reading the article thoroughly.
Keep it up.
An informative write up on the challenges faced by the travel and tourism industry. Putting in the aspect of students as contributors to this industry is a good insight. Hopeful for a bounce back soon.
Good article . Great insights , to the point and an easy ready . Well done Titiksha Barapatre
Nicely put.
A day to celebrate….world tourism as well as the author’s bday
Titiksha Barapatre, excellent article. Got good insight and perspective. Keep sharing views. Looking forward for your next article.
Good insight into the subject. Let’s hope for more…
Nice insights and content given in the article.
Very creatively and skilfully drafted…really could feel the huge void that the pandemic has brought in through the write up. It’s a real hard job to get the things back to track again but we are hopeful to see the other side of the pandemic free world again
Nicely put. Quite informative.
I am delighted to go through contents. Realy a subject of intellectual standard. Keep up BARAPATRA. Our good wishes.
Good write up.. good insight of the topic…
Nice article. Tourism could throw open new doors of opportunity if we can set up processes to monitor, prevent and follow up positive cases.
Nice article. Keep it up
Very nice article under such stress time where tourism got standstill.
Hope this article will help tourists to ignite for moving out to see world.
Appreciate the writer’s good work.
Very good insight into the subject
Awesome work
Well written. Was a good read. Indeed, we are waiting to get our life back. Travel is the elixir that makes life beautiful.
Well crafted article! Excellent writing.
Nicely described by author
Thank you