With COVID-19 initiating a wave of border closures in March, tourism and aviation in Central Asia have suffered a devastating blow – ADB wrote in a recent blog.
“For countries in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program – a partnership for 11 nations to promote economic growth and development through regional cooperation – virtually all international flights were suspended and several countries banned domestic air travel to contain the disease” – ADB reported.
According to ADB’s analysis, the CAREC region (excluding the People’s Republic of China) could see a drop of almost 70% in airline passengers in 2020 according to a forthcoming study by the Asian Development Bank.
This translates to 40 million fewer passengers and roughly $7 billion in lost passenger revenue, putting up to 1 million travel and tourism jobs at risk. The influential financial institution suggests 5 ways to revitalize the aviation and tourism industries in CAREC member countries, including Georgia.
“Grow domestic tourism; create green lanes between CAREC countries; improve air connectivity within CAREC; expand cargo capabilities and upgrade airports with contactless technology” – these are the 5 ways to keep in mind as suggested by the ADB.
