As the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the globe for the better part of 2020, it has affected many nations across the world. However, there’s still a few countries which claim to have kept the virus out.
At present, there’s currently 10 countries which have recorded zero COVID-19 cases, all of which are small island nations located in the Pacific Ocean.
The 10 countries include: Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, Soloman Island, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu and Kiribati.
While they’ve managed to keep out the virus, these small island nations are still affected by it – plain and simply because there are no tourists, which makes up a large percentage of the countries’ GDPs.
For example, for Pacific Island nation Palau, tourism accounted for 40 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2017, per IMF figures.
Palau closed its borders in March, which has meant its kept its cases at zero, but with what would normally be a booming tourist season for them during summer, the island has been vacant of tourists.
According to the , the country’s oldest hotel – The Palau Hotel – which opened in 1982 is currently only housing returning residents in quarantine. The hotel’s owner says he’ll only be able to survive for another six months given the current circumstances.
“I can stay for another half-a-year,” the owner, Brian Lee, told the publication. “Then I may have to close.”
He’s tried to keep his 20 staff working at reduced hours with jobs such as renovation and maintenance, but there’s only so much to be done. However, he’s praised the country’s government for doing a “good job” amidst the pandemic.
But Palau is just one nation amongst many who have been affected by the lack of tourism, an industry which is set to face huge losses.
During an online briefing conducted by the UN’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), it was highlighted that the pandemic could cost 100 million jobs globally and mean losses of $1.2 trillion worldwide.
“Tourism accounts for seven per cent of worldwide trade,” Zoritsa Urosevic, the director of the UNWTO’s Institutional Relations and Partnerships Department, explained during the briefing, adding that “no nation will be unaffected”.
To combat the great losses, she encouraged domestic travel amongst nations – which has been a big push here in the UAE with various staycation and daycation offers becoming increasingly popular.
However, it’s safe to say the global tourism industry has a long way to go until it fully recovers.
