The report, jointly presented by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was published on Wednesday (30 June).

It claims international tourism and its "closely linked sectors" suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Even though a return to overseas travel is expected this year, the report still shows a loss of between $1.7 trillion and $2.4 trillion in 2021.

The results are "based on simulations that capture the effects of international tourism reduction only, not policies such as economic stimulus programmes".

Isabelle Durant, UNCTAD acting secretary-general, said "the world needs a global vaccination effort" to protect industry workers. 

According to the report, the reduction in tourism could cause a 5.5% rise in unemployment of "unskilled" labour.

Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary-general, said: "Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism’s safe restart is critical to the recovery of jobs and generation of much-needed resources."

Last year, UNCTAD predicted a four-to-12-month standstill in international tourism would cost the global economy between $1.2 trillion and $3.3 trillion.