International tourism revenues reached $1.5 trillion in 2023, which means a full recovery to the level of pre-pandemic 2019 in nominal terms and by 97% adjusted for inflation, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).
According to the organization, Europe received the highest revenues from international tourism – $660 billion, which is 7% more than in pre-pandemic 2019. Revenues in the Middle East increased by 33%. Last year, America recovered 96% of its pre-pandemic international tourism revenues, Africa – 95%, and the Asia-Pacific region – 78%.
According to UN Tourism, in 2023, GDP from tourism recovered to the level of 2019. It is estimated to have amounted to $3.3 trillion, or 3% of global GDP.
As noted, several destinations achieved outstanding results in terms of international tourism revenues in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2019. Among them are Serbia (plus 127%), Turkey (plus 82%), Pakistan (plus 72%), Tanzania (plus 62%), Portugal (plus 61%), Romania (plus 57%), Japan (plus 53%), Mongolia (plus 50%), Mauritius (plus 46%) and Morocco (plus 44%).
Coronavirus Omicron XBB.1.5 has been diagnosed in patients throughout Ukraine, except in Kirovograd region, experts expect it to appear in patients in the near future.
This is reported by the Center for Public Health with reference to the data of the reference laboratory for the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, viral and especially dangerous pathogens, which confirmed the circulation of this variant of coronavirus in the vast majority of regions of the country.
At the same time, the CDC notes that this variant of the virus has already been confirmed in wastewater in Kirovograd region.
“This is the first finding of this variant of “omicron” in wastewater. This means that there will soon be patients with this diagnosis. The circulation of Omicron XBB.1.5 in all oblasts is already a matter of days”, says Irina Demchishina, head of the reference laboratory for the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, viral and especially dangerous pathogens of the CHO.
The CDC reminds us that the Omicron strain is clinically more easily tolerated by patients, but it is transmitted faster.
The CDC urged Ukrainians to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Republicans are calling for immediate action against the Chinese government, citing a new U.S. Department of Energy report that cites a “laboratory leak” as the cause of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“What’s important is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again,” tweeted Senator Tom Cotton.
His call was echoed by Senator Rick Scott.
“The left has spent the last 2 years trying to censor the truth and cover up Communist China, but the facts are undeniable. (…) It’s time to hold this evil regime accountable,” Scott’s tweet follows.
Senator Marsha Blackburn noted, “For years, Anthony Fauci and Joe Biden officials have called this a conspiracy.”
Senator Josh Hawley said he would reintroduce a bill requiring more information about what the U.S. government learned about the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The American people deserve the full truth about the origin of COVID. (…) I will once again introduce a bill to make the U.S. government’s intelligence reports about COVID open to the people,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Senator Dan Sullivan said on NBC that there should be an “extensive” public hearing in Congress on the origins of COVID-19.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that experts at the U.S. Department of Energy had concluded that the coronavirus likely spread due to a laboratory leak in China.
“The Department of Energy now agrees with the FBI that the virus likely began to spread because of a laboratory incident in the PRC,” the publication said.
The department came to that conclusion after reviewing new intelligence. The FBI reached a similar conclusion, using its own sources, in 2021.
However, according to the newspaper, so far, there is no consensus on this issue in the U.S. government. Four government agencies, as well as a specially formed group of intelligence specialists, still lean toward the theory of natural origin of the virus. Two other U.S. agencies are not yet able to come to a definite conclusion.
Shortly after the pandemic began, incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly voiced the “laboratory” origin of the coronavirus. He claimed that China would need to compensate the world for the damage caused by the coronavirus. Trump himself often referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” and his opponents criticized such claims. Under current U.S. President Joe Biden, the work to determine the origin of COVID-19 continues.
A variant of the Kraken coronavirus strain has already been detected in four regions: Sumy, Zakarpattia, Odessa and Ternopil.
According to the Public Health Center (PHC) of the Ministry of Health, this week the reference laboratory for the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, viral and especially dangerous pathogens, based on the results of sequencing, confirmed the mutation of the variant Omicron XBB.1.5 of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in three more regions: Transcarpathian, Odessa and Ternopol regions, previously “Kraken” was recorded in the Sumy region.
“This development of the event was predictable. Omicron itself, although more easily tolerated, is capable of being transmitted faster. This additionally burdens the medical system,” noted the head of the CDC surveillance department, Oksana Koshalko, whose words are cited in the press release.
As reported, in late January the first case of infection with a new sublineage of coronavirus variant SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5, or “Kraken” was recorded in Ukraine. The case was recorded in Sumy region in a person who had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
6.9 million foreign tourists will visit India in 2022, four times more than in the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hindustan Times reported.
“Gangapuram Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Kishan Reddy said nearly 6.9 million foreign tourists visited India in 2022. After two years of decline due to the coronavirus pandemic, arrivals quadrupled. According to him, the increase in tourist arrivals means the industry is moving in the right direction to achieve sustainable tourism,” Reddy said.
Reddy said the Ministry of Tourism will emphasize inbound tourism this year and launch the “Visit India 2023” promotion. “We have 40 UNESCO heritage sites and we celebrate more than 1,000 festivals every year,” he specified.
He also noted that the country has built an extensive tourism infrastructure over the past eight years, and now the authorities want to rethink the approach to tourism in India.
“To ensure digitalization of the tourism sector, a ‘National Tourism Mission’ is being developed. In the first phase, the ministry has created a national integrated database of the hospitality industry, which should make it easier for businesses to operate,” the newspaper wrote.
Indian authorities also plan to develop adventure tourism, eco-tourism and other areas.
France, Germany and Spain are faced with another increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus, and the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the pandemic is not over yet and control of the virus is necessary, El Mundo newspaper writes.
“The World Health Organization and the European Union warned this week that the pandemic is not over yet and that people’s health must be protected, especially among the most vulnerable populations. The WHO is again seeing a growing number of covid infections in Europe, this indicates another wave of the virus,” writes edition with reference to the organization.
In addition, WHO held a new quarterly meeting on the situation with COVID-19, which discussed the issue of maintaining an international state of emergency due to the pandemic. The decision will be announced in the coming days.
According to the organization, 3 million cases of COVID-19 infection were confirmed in the world last week, the lowest figure this year. The number of deaths was 8.8 thousand, this is the second lowest figure in 2022.
Meanwhile, according to El Mundo, in Spain, all indicators of COVID-19 have increased over the past week: the incidence is skyrocketing in people over 59, many of them end up in hospitals in intensive care units.
The Ministry of Health of the country again publishes weekly statistics on coronavirus, according to which 587 patients with covid have been admitted to hospitals in Spain since last Friday. In total, there are 3.3 thousand people, 174 of them are in the intensive care unit.
The situation is no better in Germany: people with the Omicron strain BA.4 and BA.5 are hospitalized there. According to the Association of Hospitals of the country, medical institutions are now working at the limit of their capabilities.
In this context, discussions on the mandatory wearing of masks indoors have resumed in Germany, and the Minister of Health of the Republic, Karl Lauterbach, has called on the federal states to reintroduce the mask regime in the indicated places.
In turn, France is launching a free flu vaccination campaign in the hope of reducing the number of cases, especially at a time when the number of people infected with coronavirus is rising. First of all, people over 65 years of age, pregnant women, people with third-degree obesity (BMI over 40) and patients with certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes, are recommended to be vaccinated.
