"WTTC believes governments around the world should take advantage of their vaccine rollouts, which could significantly ease travel restrictions on travel, and help power the wider global economic recovery.”

The report also revealed the European Travel & Tourism sector suffered the second biggest economic collapse last year, dropping 51.4% (€987 BN). This significant and damaging decline was in part due to continuing mobility restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

The report showed domestic spending in Europe declined by 48.4%, offset by some intra-regional travel, however international spending fell at an even sharper rate, by 63.8%.

Despite this, Europe remained the top global region for international visitor spending.

However, Travel & Tourism employment still suffered across the Continent, falling 9.3%, equating to a dramatic loss of 3.6 million jobs.

Travel & Tourism GDP in Africa dropped 49.2% in 2020, in line with the global average.

Domestic spending declined by 42.8%, while international spending saw a much steeper contraction at 66.8%.

In terms of employment losses, Africa suffered disproportionately more than other regions, falling 29.3%, representing a staggering 7.2 million jobs.