Alexander Kovalchuk
At the beginning of the year, potential tourists stayed home because of military operations in the Middle East, and in April-May many countries of the Asia-Pacific region lost almost half of their tourists due to the SARS epidemic. In 2002, it was Asia that had edged out the American continents in the tourism ranking and taken an honorable second place. China, together with Hong Kong and Macau, was predicted a great future and further advancement up the tourism ladder, but, apparently, that was not to be just yet.
Europeans in 2003 remained at approximately the same level: Western Europe (including the Mediterranean countries) lost about 3.7 million travelers (about 3%) due to the combined effect of a weakening economy and a strengthening euro. Central and Eastern Europe remained at the 2002 level, which they are quite pleased about. Since the strong euro had not yet reached them, it was advantageous to vacation in the countries of the former socialist camp.
The USA and Canada did not change the trends of recent years and ended 2003 with a 5% decline in tourist arrivals. Because of the hunt for terrorists, the United States is trying to admit as few tourists as possible and is tightening the 'visa screws' of the entry regime, despite protests from hoteliers and travel agencies. South America, by contrast, did very well, increasing its figures by 12%. Due to improved economic conditions in some countries of the continent, such as Brazil and Argentina, local residents began to travel more within the region. Tourists also did not refuse to visit the Caribbean islands, which were also spared the overall decline of the past year.
After the difficult year of 2003, officials at the WTO expect the industry to recover this year. No new wars are expected, it seems - the US is busy with presidential elections, and establishing democracy in backward countries is taking a backseat. The main thing is that bird flu does not let Asia down.