29 Pictures Of Global Tourism During The Coronavirus Pandemic
After the coronavirus pandemic brought global tourism to a virtual standstill, many destinations are slowly welcoming back visitors — cautiously.
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For many of the world's most popular destinations, summer is the season when tourism peaks and travelers are most inclined to spend both vacation days and saved income on their getaways. With fears over the spread of COVID-19 and strict travel restrictions imposed by countries to help curb new infections, many travel plans have since been postponed or canceled entirely.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically disrupted the world's tourism sector with an estimated loss of $1.2 trillion, or 1.5% of the world's GDP. With air travel down more than 70% from 2019 and many would-be travelers opting instead for "staycations," UNCTAD estimates that some tourist enterprises may never recover from the economic effects of this pandemic.
For recently reopened destinations like the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, a current hot spot for coronavirus infections in the US, there are fears that opening too soon will cause an uptick in new COVID-19 infections. Still, many countries are slowly returning to a new normal following weeks of lockdowns and have since implemented safety measures at popular tourist sites to help keep visitors safe.
These pictures show what summer tourism looks like around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A visitor has their temperature taken at the entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi, Brazil, on July 11. After being closed for three months, the museum's patio was cleared for visitation following distance rules such as reduced opening hours, restricting the flow of people, and maintaining hygiene standards.
Empty deck chairs are pictured at Magaluf Beach, Spain, on July 16. Regional authorities on Spain's Balearic island of Majorca ordered the immediate closure of bars on three streets popular with hard-drinking tourists to limit the potential for coronavirus outbreaks.
American tourist boat Maid Of The Mist, limited to 50% occupancy under New York state's rules amid the spread of the coronavirus disease, glides past a Canadian vessel limited under Ontario's rules to just six passengers, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 21.
Guests walk past the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction on the second day of the reopening of Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on July 16. All four of Disney's Florida parks are now open, including Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom, with limited capacity and safety protocols in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Young women kiss while taking a selfie before the Coliseum in Rome on June 22, as the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infections.
Yemeni women residing in Egypt visit the Giza pyramids on the southwestern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on July 1, as the country eases restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. A spree of openings in Egypt comes after the country officially ended a three-month nighttime curfew. Cafés and shops have reopened but public beaches and parks remain closed.
Three young women walk by an advertisement on a bus shelter in Lisbon, Portugal, that says "Tired of the virus? Be careful, it is not yet tired of you," on June 28. Sundays are still slow in downtown Lisbon although the country is coming back to life with the third phase of the de-confinement that started on June 2.
A visitor wearing a protective face mask takes a picture of paintings in the reopened Louvre Museum in Paris on July 6.
Visitors wearing protective face masks admire the view from the Eiffel Tower in Paris during its partial reopening on June 25.
A receptionist talks with tourists behind a glass wall as hotels take strict measures to help tourists have a healthy and safe holiday in Antalya, Turkey, on July 3.
A staff member checks the temperature of a tourist at the Al Naseem hotel in Dubai on July 7.
A hotel employee cleans a glass barrier on a terrace overlooking a beach in Lloret de Mar, Spain, on June 22, as beaches reopen following a national lockdown.
People attend a scaled-down version of the Myrtle Beach spring bike rally in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, on July 17. The event had been scheduled for May but was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A cruise ship arrives without passengers in Rostock, Germany, to a beach full of tourists on July 18. It's one of the first cruise ships to arrive in Rostock after the start of the season, which was planned four months ago, was canceled due to the coronavirus.
Passengers walk to their gates at the nearly empty Barcelona airport on June 22.
The sun shines through the roof of the Oculus at the World Trade Center Station in New York City on July 13.
Broadway theaters stand closed along an empty street in the theater district of New York City on June 30. The Broadway League, a trade organization representing producers and theater owners, announced that performances in New York City will be suspended through the remainder of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Daniel Hawkins of California rolls the dice at a craps table at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on July 1, after the Las Vegas Strip property opened for the first time since being closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Friends pose in front of "the Bean" at Millennium Park in Chicago on July 8.
Visitors take a selfie in front of Buckingham Palace in London on July 3.
Customers sit at socially distanced tables at a restaurant in London on July 4, as restrictions are further eased during the coronavirus pandemic.
A beachgoer relaxes behind a bilingual sign describing the coronavirus as "Inimigo Público" or "public enemy," and giving instructions to prevent contagion in Cascais, Portugal, on July 3.
Tourists ride camels from Oakfield Ranch camel rides on Birubi Beach, Australia, on June 25. Domestic tourism has started to resume following the easing of travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. All intrastate travel restrictions were lifted in New South Wales on June 1, allowing people to travel to regional areas within the state.
Tourists walk through Tiananmen Square in Beijing on July 15.
People take photographs in front of a hot spring source at the Kusatsu Onsen resort in Kusatsu, Japan, on June 27. More than a month has passed since Japan ended its state of emergency and begun relaxing its restriction requests for businesses.
Tourists take a selfie while visiting Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during its reopening on July 12.
A server wearing a protective face mask sanitizes her hands at a beach bar in Barcelona on June 28.
Visitors wearing face masks watch the sunset at Niterói City Park in Niterói, Brazil, amid the coronavirus pandemic on July 11.
A man sunbathes at Glyfada Beach on the island of Corfu, Greece, on July 1, as the island welcomes its first tourists after months of closure due to the spread of the COVID-19.
