The travel and tourism sector has been hit hard by Covid-19, which is seen as the biggest crisis after World War II. It brought entire tourism activities to a standstill, impacting human life and society causing misery and leaving behind deep scathes among people in various countries and with varying degrees of severity. As the tourism sector was devastated by Covid-19, it triggered a loss of confidence among travellers and impacted socio-economic life.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel and tourism sector suffered losses of almost $4.9 trillion in the Covid-19 pandemic, with its global contribution to GDP declining by 50.4 percent year-on-year, compared to a 3.3 percent decline in the global economy. There was a glimmer of hope in 2021 as tourism contribution to GDP increased by $1 trillion, up 21.7 percent in 2021 to reach $5.8 trillion, while the sector’s share of the whole economy increased from 5.3 percent in 2020 to 6.1 percent in 2021.

Additionally, the sector saw a recovery of 18.2 million jobs, representing an increase of 6.7 percent. The growth rate projection is bright which brings cheer among stakeholders as travel and tourism GDP is set to grow on average by 5.8 percent annually between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy, creating nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade.

Further, travel and tourism GDP could return to 2019 levels by the end of 2023. However, much depends on the proactive role of the government and the travel trade sector by preparing for future crises, coexisting with Covid-19 by taking collective behaviour and individual responsibility, easing conditions in opening destinations, and providing better communication and planning.

Tourism was also hard hit in the Asia Pacific region as it registered an 82 percent drop in tourist arrivals in 2020 compared to 2019. Nepal also shows a slump in tourist arrivals. Nepal registered 230,085 and 150,962 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Between January-August, 2022, the total number of arrivals was recorded at 326,667. Tourist arrivals in 2020 almost declined by 80 percent from 2019.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed travel behaviour. Travel behaviour involves certain decisions, activities, ideas or experiences that satisfy consumer needs and wants. Ongoing studies across the world, on the impacts of Covid-19 and the future of travel and tourism, are predicting that travel and tourism consumption patterns may change in the post-Covid-19 era.

An Economist Impact survey of more than 4,500 travellers in the region—across Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand—shows that more than 7 in 10 respondents (71.8 percent) agree that Covid-19 has changed the way they think about sustainable tourism by making it more important to them.

The survey result shows that 57 percent of tourists want to avoid overtourism, while 69.9 percent are likely to avoid travelling to crowded destinations. A similar percentage (71.7 percent) shows that they are more likely to travel to destinations that allow them to avoid crowded spaces. Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to seriously think of ways to develop practices that may help to recover and sustain tourism in the post-Covid-19 era.

After much deliberations among the member states, the World Tourism Organisation this year returns to focus on the future on World Tourism Day on September 27 with the central theme “Rethinking Tourism”, expecting tourism brings hope and opportunity to millions who are suffering due to the double jolt of both Covid-19 and the Ukraine war.

The World Tourism Organisation highlights the opportunity to rethink tourism in a better way by putting people and the planet first, and bringing everyone from governments and businesses to local communities together around a shared vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector. The World Tourism Organisation hopes that World Tourism Day should be celebrated as the shift towards tourism is recognised as a crucial pillar of development and progress is well underway. In a nutshell, the theme is an attempt to regenerate the global tourism industry in the post-Covid-19 pandemic and war situation.

Nepal should look for new ways to reboot tourism. Recently, the government has announced 73 tourism activities, after rigorous discussions with the travel trade sector, to strengthen tourism. In Kathmandu Valley, one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in South Asia, tourism is mainly driven by its rich cultural heritage having seven protected monument zones which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Nepal needs to move further ahead and approach UNESCO for listing in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage that brings paramount importance to the cultural values of a country. For example, 14 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements from India have now been inscribed on UNESCO’s list. Nepal with its unique culture can look forward to it. Gai Jatra and Indra Jatra carry lots of weight and have tremendous potential to reconnect with the rest of the world.

In the 1970s, Nepal pioneered wildlife tourism and was well known on tourism maps. It was much appreciated by the world. Former United States Defence Secretary and World Bank president, Robert McNamara, appreciated Nepal's pioneering approach to wildlife tourism along with conservation. Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, was also in awe of Nepal's wildlife tourism. Former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was inspired by Nepal's forest management and tourism so much that she admitted that there were lots of things to learn from Nepal.

Wildlife tourism caters to the needs of high-end tourists, and Nepal has to reposition itself as a high-end tourist destination through wildlife tourism as the country has both comparative and competitive advantages. The rich past glory of Nepal has to be revived to boost tourism.

The Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project, a joint initiation of the Nepal Tourism Board and the United Nations Development Programme, was launched in 2021 with programmes totally designed for the benefit of the bottom of the pyramids working in the tourism sector.

The project specifically worked on providing immediate livelihood needs through short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable tourism-dependent communities, particularly women and people from disadvantaged groups in the tourism sector that have lost their jobs or income due to Covid-19; and generating employment and income for tourism workers through the renovation and development of tourism products in major tourist destinations. Unlike other countries that were totally concentrated on a top-down approach and designing recovery programmes for those at the top of the pyramid, the project totally took care of the bottom of the pyramid by reinventing and rethinking tourism and revitalising local communities.

The biggest challenge is restoring confidence in tourism which is only possible through travel. It has to combine an old man’s wisdom and a child’s delight and curiosity. The time is ripe to rethink tourism and reinvent it with a new responsibility in a meaningful way. Undoubtedly, the theme has rightly come at a time when people are looking at the tourism sector to bring succour to end their misery by rethinking tourism for development, including through education, jobs, capacity building, trained human resources, and of course, tourism’s impact on the planet and opportunities to grow more sustainably.

The World Tourism Organisation has aptly asked to rethink newer approaches to revive overall tourism.