Study: Tourism in Asia before, during and after the pandemic

The comparative study looks at tourism in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia before, during, and after the corona pandemic. The pandemic hit the industry hard and had a serious impact in these countries. The selected countries all have a large informal sector in tourism and weak social safety nets. 

The study looks at the different courses of action taken by each country to respond to the pandemic and ultimately enable the gradual recovery of tourism. The results show, for example, that Vietnam was able to respond relatively quickly during the initial outbreak phase of the virus and initiate measures to contain the virus. In India, on the other hand, the process was slower, as the country's political structures led to longer decision-making processes.

Despite the fact that India was particularly hard hit by the virus outbreak, the country is recovering comparatively quickly from the economic consequences of the pandemic, while Nepal, in turn, is lagging behind in a regional comparison. This is partly due to Nepal's strong economic dependence on China and India (its big neighbours), which is why the country could not adapt as well to the economic shock. Nepal also witnessed the highest decline in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2020 with a decline of 81%, and the country continues to struggle to attract more international tourists.

Despite strong local differences in some aspects, some overarching trends could be witnessed. Specifically, the overall picture is that both domestic travel and digital tourism are on the rise in the countries studied.