ABSTRACT
The World Tourism Council (WTC) has warned that the COVID-19 epidemic could result in 50 million unemployed people from employed status worldwide in the tourism and travel sector and is predictable to have the greatest impact in Asia. Social distancing, travel and entry restrictions, and personal protection equipment make it possible to stabilize future crises by controlling the potential demand for tourism. More than 90% of the world’s population is affected by international travel bans, public meetings, widespread limitations on public movement, and tourism will be essentially halted in March 2020. This chapter compares COVID-19’s consequences to prior pandemics/ epidemics and other worldwide catastrophes, as well as how pandemics transform society, tourism, and the economy.
