Unfortunately the last year and a half hasn’t been the best for most of us, for quite obvious reasons (unless you’ve literally been living on another planet). Some countries will suffer more than others due to a loss in tourism and governments who do not have the financial freedom to offer their citizens help.
Because unlike myself and most people in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and even the US (thanks Biden) who are received or still are receiving furlough payments or some sort of income support from the government whilst not working, a lot of countries won’t have that same support.
As borders start to slowly open again and talk of travel for the second half of 2021 is on everyone’s lips, I thought I would do some research into which countries really need tourism more than most and how you could spend your money wisely to make sure you’re helping the locals as best you can.
AFRICA:
Africa will feel the effects of this pandemic more than any other continent on the planet due to lack of wealth within governments to provide monetary assistance to its citizens. Whilst I think all countries in Africa will benefit greatly from a boost in tourism, the countries I highlight below are the ones that usually rely the most heavily on tourism and so who will benefit the most from visitors once it is deemed safe to travel there.
Seychelles
In 2018, 64.2% of this countries GDP came from the tourism industry so 2020/21 will see a dip in its economic growth. Recently, Seychelles announced a marine protection initiative to protect 30% of its oceans from commercial use. This is a great big step in the right direction for environmental change and I hope they see a boost in tourism when borders open again.
Cape Verde
This island nation is full of white sandy beaches, volcanic landscapes and year round sunshine! Cabo Verde have managed the pandemic well with only 264 deaths. Some 44.4% of their national income is derived from tourism but there is no word on when tourism may return to the Cape. If borders opens towards the end of the year, it’s the perfect winter getaway for Europeans.
Mauritius
The Mauritius government were one of few African countries to offer financial assistance to workers who lost their jobs, although they were only awarded small portions of their usual income. The country rely heavily on the world market for imports for food, tourism and financial services. These services alone contributed about 75% of the countries GDP in 2019.
Ghana
Ghana welcomed over 1 million foreign visitors in 2019 due to a campaign called ‘Year of the Return’ which encouraged African descendants to visit during the 400th year since the Atlantic slave trade began. While the Black Lives Matter movement is stronger than ever, this is a very important lesson in education for all of us. Visiting the African nations is a great way of showing support and to encourage more learning about some of the longest living cultures in the world.
ASIA:
Asia is another continent that will feel the effects of COVID-19 all over for a long time to come. As with Africa, all countries will benefit from tourism but these are the ones who may suffer the most.
Thailand
Tourism makes up a crazy 22% of Thailand’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and is the world’s most visited third world country. In 2018, Thailand made $63 billion USD, the fourth highest number of tourism dollars made that year in the world, so losing out on most of those tourism dollars this year will be a massive loss for an already struggling nation. Thailand managed the virus well for all of 2020 but unfortunately spiked in April/May 2021. Thai people are often named some of the friendliest in the world, and I don’t doubt they will welcome you with open arms in the land of smiles as soon as deemed safe.
Maldives
The Maldives are not having a great time. Not only do the rising sea levels thanks to climate change threaten to drown the country, but thanks to COVID-19, 75.1% of its GDP is at risk. In 2019, the country brought in 1.7 million tourists and had an ambition for 2 million visitors in 2020. Most tourism workers were excused from work without pay, but thankfully their resorts have now opened back up and they are welcoming tourists. They are even offering vaccinations on arrival!
Cambodia
Tourism makes up 31.6% of Cambodia’s GDP so the effects of border closures here will be a tough sting. Cambodia were one of the last countries to close their borders because of this reason when the outbreak first started. There had been no recorded coronavirus deaths in 2020 but unfortunately they have recently seen cases like Thailand.
India
Tourism accounts for roughly 10% of national income in India and recent reports state that the tourism sector will lose an estimated $133 billion USD due to the pandemic. This number would have exponentially grown due to the recent tragedy going on in the country where every day roughly 350,000 cases are reported a day. This is the highest number we have seen so far! When it’s safe to travel again, India would really appreciate your tourism dollars and it’s one of my favourite countries I have ever been so you will love it.
Bali
Tourism in Bali is the main source of income there (roughly 80%) and the population of 4 million are struggling to get by without tourism. There is a fundraising effort to provide food to local families, if you love Bali and won’t be able to visit, you can donate here: Crisis Kitchen. Thankfully, some tourists were able to get to Bali during a short window where they allowed people to come for up to six months on ‘social visas’ so the tourism industry is getting by with money from the expats living there but it is still not enough.
EUROPE:
It’s looking likely that inter-continental travel may be off the cards for most of us for the majority of the year, but due to Europe’s close relationships, open border policies and official confirmation that some countries will be opening in June or July, here are some European options for those looking for a close getaway.
Spain
Spain are opening to foreign visitors in June and whilst they have seen some of the highest number of cases in Europe, daily numbers are now very much on the decline. Being one of the poorer EU nations who relies heavily on tourism (12-15% of annual GDP), they are hoping to encourage visitors for the later half of European summer.
Italy
Italy will be one of the first European country to open its borders in mid-May 2021 and remove the mandatory 14 day quarantine. The country rely on tourism for over 13% of national GDP and whilst infection rates have fallen, please check with your countries immigration policy when it comes to traveling to Italy.
Greece
The usual crowds of summer in the thriving greek islands have now been replaced with ghost towns and the already struggling Greek economy is desperate for tourism to return. It had a somewhat successful summer in 2020 but the islands were still empty in comparison to previous years. Tourism makes up a fifth of the countries economy so this loss threatens to push Greece back into the economic crisis they had a decade ago. They are recording declines in numbers of COVID-19 cases and are opening to tourists from the 14th of May.
Turkey
Turkey have been recovering their tourism industry in the last few years with tourism numbers higher than ever in 2019. At the start of 2020, a 17% rise in economic growth in the tourism sector alone was predicted but thanks to coronavirus, this will no longer be the reality. They have controversially kept borders open amidst country wide lockdowns where tourists are exempt in the hope to encourage foreign visitors.
Malta
Some 27% of Malta’s GDP comes from tourism so this island nation will feel the effects of COVID-19 for longer than most. They will open their borders to vaccinated travellers from the 1st of June and will even pay you to visit in 2021!
Iceland
A massive 35% of Icelands GDP is derived from tourism. Iceland are opening for vaccinated travellers or people who can prove they have had a previous infection.
NORTH AMERICA:
Belize
Some 41.8% of Belize’s GDP relies on tourism with the islands of Caye Caulker, San Pedro and the surrounding reef/atolls as well as Cocksomb Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Park being the countries main attractions. Locals on Caye Caulker had to turn vapour in the air into drinking water last year due to delayed shipments of bottled water to the island so they will be very happy to see tourism and regular boats arriving once again.
Mexico
This virus may have been named after a Mexican beer, but that doesn’t mean they have been sheltered from the effects of it. Tourism accounts for over 16% of Mexico’s economy and without it there have been a lot of job losses and concerns within the community. A lot of Mexicans live day to day and many still need to work every day to survive which means lockdown hasn’t been possible to the same extent it has been elsewhere. The death toll is currently still growing but they have been open for tourism for a few months now with a large expat community in the Tulum area.
The Caribbean
All of the poor nations in the Caribbean will be hit pretty hard with this global economic crisis due to their reliance on tourism.
The hardest hit nation by lack of tourism will be the British Virgin Islands as in 2018 it raked in a whopping 92% of their GDP annually!
Others very heavily hit will be (2018 percentage of GDP from tourism):
– Aruba (85.6%)
– Antigua & Barbuda (52.4%)
– The Bahamas (48.3%)
– St Lucia (43.4%)
– Barbados (41.2%)
– Jamaica (33.7%)
– Cayman Islands (30.2%)
In August/September 2019, The Bahamas inflicted losses of $3.4 billion due to Hurricane Dorian and it didn’t have much time to recover before COVID-19 came along.
USA
With the highest number of deaths worldwide, the US have had a horrible time with coronavirus. The US is the wealthiest country in the world and so it should bounce back from this better than the rest of us, so why have I included it on the list? Well, it seems unlikely that the US will be allowed to travel at their pre-pandemic levels for a while yet so this is a great chance for Americans to travel interstate and hopefully this information helps to see where their tourism dollars are most needed.
According to The Stacker the ten most affected states are:
- Hawaii
- Montana
- Nevada
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- Florida
- New Hampshire
- Washington D.C.
- New York
- California
SOUTH AMERICA:
Another continent that will see some lasting, damaging effects in relation to loss in tourism. All countries here will benefit greatly from tourism but due to less flight options, opportunities for travel may become available later than most other continents.
Brazil
Brazil and Argentina are the only South American countries included in the 20 biggest economies in the world. In Brazil, they have seen a late spike in cases which will force longer border closures and travel restrictions. Tourism accounts for 7.9% of it’s GDP.
Peru
Tourism makes up around 10% of the countries GDP and it is set to lose around $4 billion USD. That could have now increased. South America’s most visited tourist attraction; Machu Picchu has now re-opened though, so hopefully this sees more visitors in 2021.
OCEANIA:
Australia & New Zealand
Having closed borders indefinitely, Australians and New Zealanders may not be allowed to travel internationally for a while yet, but their governments have been encouraging locals to travel domestically. The two countries also now have a travel bubble, meaning they can travel freely once again over the Trans-Tasman.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu rely on tourism for 45.9% of their annual GDP and without tourism, there has been a 70% drop in full-time employment. Only four cases have ever been recorded but the poor nation are wary to open borders due to a lack of facilities if an outbreak were to occur. To make matters worse, Vanuatu were struck by one of the strongest recorded tropical storms in the Southeast Pacific last year which killed three and left over 200,000 of its 300,000 inhabitants displaced. The damage could cost 2/3 of Vanuatu’s GDP and with a significant loss from tourism, they are going to need all the help they can get when borders re-open.
Fiji
This island nation rely on tourism for around 40% of its GDP and empty resorts across the nation are creating local panic. Fiji were also affected by the category five Tropical Cyclone Harold in early April 2020 and with no foreign aid help due to the worldwide lockdowns. Fiji have only recorded 152 coronavirus cases and three deaths.
The Solomon Islands and Tonga were also affected by the cyclone.
How to make sure you give back directly to the local economy in the best way possible:
Stay with locally owned hotels, guesthouses etc.
This may be obvious, but can get overlooked when people are wanting luxury and have a few names that already spring into mind. Research some local gems instead!
Book directly with hotels/hostels
It’s all well and good to compare hotels on booking.com or hostels via HostelWorld, but when it comes time to book, find their website and book direct. Online search agents will take a cut of the profits and you’ll most likely find it is cheaper to book direct as well. If not, send them an email and ask if they can match the price, they will always say yes and may even throw in a bonus for booking with them!
Eat at local restaurants
Please don’t go to McDonalds when you’re overseas… please.
Take local transport (public or private)
Take the bus, pay for a taxi or a tuk tuk and support local drivers. Booking a transfer from the airport could be locally owned or it may be part of a bigger company who underpay drivers so it is sometimes better to pay for a taxi on arrival for the same price. Also, if hiring a car, avoid the big international corporations and see if there are any locally owned renters.
Book day trips when you arrive and listen to local advice
Some local tour companies don’t have the knowledge to put together websites and promote themselves online and a lot of companies that do have this knowledge may be bigger corporations who pay their staff (the locals that actually run the tours) poorly. Wait until you arrive and ask around to find some more locally run trips where you can pay your guide directly. A lot of the time it will be cheaper, plus you can ask locals for recommendations and some of the best hidden gems are found this way.
Buy locally made souvenirs from local artists
Head to a local market and find some unique crafts!
Avoid travel packages
Travel packages sound appealing to start, but the majority of the time, the sellers take marginal profits and leave locals with the leftover pennies. They have deals with certain operators that undercut their business and use mostly western or internationally owned businesses.
Stay with a local family
Home stays are becoming more and more popular and it’s one of the best ways to learn about a local culture.
Be environmentally conscious
We’ve seen the damages of tourism in countries like Thailand and the Philippines when Maya Bay and Boracay were closed to tourism due to ecological damage and this is a horrible way for locals to lose an income. Here are some tips to making sure we protect these natural environments:
- research the tour company and question their codes of conduct when in natural environments.
- eat less meat! also a great way to avoid food poisoning.
- wear reef-safe sunscreen.
- reduce your plastic use where possible.
- always take rubbish home with you.
- recycle!
- avoid purchases that exploit marine life or animals (don’t buy products made from animal bones, coral jewellery, shark teeth, leather products etc.)
Choose the right tour company
If you are wanting to travel solo or just love the idea of having a planned, co-ordinated trip then make sure to choose a travel company that puts money back into local economies. After being a travel agent for four years, I have seem all types of tour companies that don’t do this well enough but the best one for supporting local has to be G Adventures. They are one of the biggest tour companies in the world with tours running almost everywhere. They also fund important Planeterra projects to give jobs and livelihoods to the local communities they visit. They will also never stay in a big chain hotel or western owned accommodation, always sourcing locally owned hotels/hostels and including unique experiences by allowing guests to stay with local families during home stays. They will also give as much as possible back by hiring local guides and using 100% locally owned companies. You can measure the amount of funds given directly to the local community on each trip via their ‘ripple score’ which will be shown in every tour description. Most tours have a ripple score of (or close to) 100 meaning 100% of the money goes directly to locals. Amazing work!
0 COMMENTS
Shelby
5 years agoThis was so informative! Thank you for sharing. Hoping to travel within Europe soon!!
Caitlyn Leggett
5 years ago AUTHORThank you, I’m so glad you loved it. Fingers crossed 😀
Travel A-Broads (Sara & Candace)
5 years agoLove this post! What a great way to help out the travel and tourism community. Also love that you’ve incorporated your Instagram pictures in your post; that’s something we definitely hadn’t thought of doing for our own site.
Caitlyn Leggett
5 years ago AUTHORThanks so much. To be honest I mostly started doing it because I was running out of space to add photos to my site (memory was full) but I think its a good way to get people to connect through Instagram as well and then they could find similar photos from that place too 😀
Dominika
4 years agoSuch a great and useful post! I especially like that you included tips on how to make sure visitors support local communities and local economy instead of big international corporations.
As for tour companies which give back to the community, I can recommend El Camino Travel for trips to Central and South America: https://www.elcamino.travel
Caitlyn Leggett
4 years ago AUTHORThanks so much for that feedback that makes me so happy! Love that suggestion for Central and South America as well 😀 I’ll be checking them out for sure!