Although the tourism industry has been hit hard by this epidemic, how to restart the tourism industry is still a difficult choice. Under the premise that the epidemic is still not under effective control, the decision right still belongs to their respective governments rather than multinational companies. Google, as an American company, does not know whether it has formulated relevant plans for President Trump.
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Google on Wednesday hosted the first UNWTO & Google Tourism Acceleration Program which focused on insights from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
The programme was put together ahead of World Tourism Day, Google said in a statement.
The organisations said they partnered to create and host an online Acceleration Program for UNWTO member states’ tourism ministers, top travel associations and tourism boards.
The initiative is put together to further develop innovation and digital transformation skills across the Africa and beyond.
The COVID-19 crisis has disproportionately affected tourism, a sector that accounts for millions of jobs around the globe, a statement by Google said Wednesday.
“While no one can say with certainty when the sector will recover, people are starting to dream of getaways again – whether closer to home or to remote destinations.
“As more and more people go online to search where and when they can travel, accelerating the digitisation of the tourism sector will be key to helping it adapt and recover.”
The organisation added that tourism is the backbone of many economies around the world, adding that as data from UNWTO shows, tourism represents 9 per cent of global trade for Africa and one in 10 jobs directly and indirectly.
Moreover, the sector drives inclusive growth, as women make up 54 per cent of the workforce.