Karl Wöber: Starting from June 2022, Europe's Tourism Industry Has Recovered 60% of Pre-Pandemic Levels

On 10 May, the World Tourism Cities Federation Changsha Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2023 (hereinafter referred to as the "Summit") kicked off in Changsha. During the segment for thematic speeches, Karl Wöber, Director of the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Expert Committee and the former President of MODUL University Vienna, delivered a speech themed "The Recovery of City Tourism in Europe".

Karl Wöber, Director of the WTCF Expert Committee and the former President of MODUL University Vienna

The tourism industry is one of the industries most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics show a total of 3.6 million job losses in the European Union since the pandemic. Wöber believes that measures must be taken to reduce the harm of the crisis and help Europe recover from it.

Wöber pointed out that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain special to the tourism industry, with an emphasis on the need to consider currency and other various factors and the use of tools to empower SMEs. In addition, he stressed the importance of the tourism industry database. "We have established a network of tourists with 25,000 registered users." With data from 150 cities in 70 countries, it has become the world's largest database for the tourism industry.

Based on detailed data, Wöber concluded that the tourism industry in Europe would start to recover in 2022. He mentioned that from June 2022, the tourism industry has recovered to roughly 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Using multiple straightforward data charts, Karl showed the recovery of tourist accommodation in European cities over the past few years, as well as the changes in the European tourist market. He believes that European cities should regard the crisis as an opportunity to consider how to make their local economies more resilient, especially when facing shocks, and how to make urban centers more livable, to achieve growth in the tourism sector.

"In the medium- and long-term, sustainable development should be the goal of city tourism," Wöber suggested. He further stated that the infrastructure for the tourism industry should also be improved. Urban tourism should become a more productive and resilient industry in the future. Relevant measures should be taken to improve the tourist experience, which will create more job opportunities at the same time. It is necessary to ensure that the tourism industry can better promote the protection of cultural, natural, and historical heritages while reducing its impact on the environment.