Tourism is expected to continue to recover this year and approach a return to pre-pandemic levels.
However, that recovery could still be at risk if an estimated 1.2 million jobs – lost during the Covid crisis – are not re-filled, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned.
The WTTC and the European Travel Commission said the current labour shortage in the industry is “challenging” and have called for urgent action to address the issue.
WTTC president and chief executive Julia Simpson said: “Europe showed one of the strongest recoveries in 2021, ahead of the global average. However, current shortages of labour could delay this trend.”
Around 571,000 jobs were recovered last year after global tourism lost around 1.7 million roles in 2020.
