UK’s travel sector to hit £192 billion in 2022 if government keeps borders open: WTTC

New data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) shows the UK’s Travel & Tourism sector is recovering, with the country’s GDP predicted to rise to £192 billion, just 19% below pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022. The global tourism body forecasts a healthy recovery for the UK Travel & Tourism sector if travel restrictions and unnecessary testing protocols remain off limits for the rest of the year.

According to the latest research, it could also mean a net gain in jobs for the sector, with a rise of 1.7% on pre pandemic levels, resulting in some 4.3 million people being employed within Travel & Tourism by the end of the year, 70,000 more than in 2019. This latest WTTC data will come as welcome news to the country’s battle-scarred Travel & Tourism sector as it looks forward to travel returning.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism to and from the UK is poised for a full recovery. By the end of this year, we estimate its contribution to national economy could reach £192 billion. While the UK was one of the worst hit in terms of the sector’s contribution to GDP, the future is looking positive. But this will depend on the government keeping to its pledge to re-open UK Plc and not reintroducing the chaotic travel restrictions that actually had zero impact on the spread of the virus.”

Last week, research from WTTC revealed that as the world began its recovery from pandemic, the sector’s contribution to both the global economy and employment could reach almost pre-pandemic levels this year.

It forecasts that the global Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to the global economy could reach $8.6 trillion this year, just 6.4% behind pre-pandemic levels.

WTTC has long urged governments to support vaccine and booster rollouts with repealing restrictive and ineffective travel restrictions.

This would help reboot the Travel & Tourism sector to pre-pandemic levels and restore jobs to just 1% below levels last seen in 2019.

The global tourism body also urges governments around the world to remove the patchwork of restrictions, allow the fully vaccinated to travel freely and enable international travel using digital solutions that allow travellers to prove their status in a fast, simple and secure way.