ABSTRACT
Like many other economic sectors, tourism is experiencing signifi cant challenges in the wake of the global economic upheavals that began in 2008. According to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the number of international tourist arrivals was estimated at 247 million between January and April of 2009, down from 269 million in 2008 and 254 million in 2007 during the fi rst quarters of each year. Th is downward trend is expected to continue for some time to come. During the fi rst quarter of 2009, most regions of the world experienced substantial visitor declines from the previous year: Europe (10 percent); Asia and Pacifi c (6 percent); North America (7 percent); the Caribbean (6 percent); Central America (4 percent); and the Middle East (18 percent). Only two world regions experienced growth during that period: Africa (3 percent) and South America (0.2 percent). Th e authors of the UNWTO report further that “there are possibilities of a moderate recovery, but much will depend on the evolving economic conditions and on the restoration of consumer and business confi dence.”1
