The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that SARS, along with the ongoing world economic slowdown, will mean the loss of five million jobs in the tourist industry this year.
The organisation says that if its prediction is correct, the industry will have lost a massive 11.5 million jobs since the terror attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 – nearly one seventh of all those employed in tourism.
According to a report in the Financial Times, the ILO is predicting that areas directly affected by SARS will suffer job losses approaching 30%, other countries in the Asia-Pacific region by 15%, and the rest of the world 5%. The report goes on to predict that many jobs will be lost for ever if the SARS crisis continues much longer – and that the whole industry is being affected by shifts in travel trends.
Dirk Belau, the author of the report, stated: “People are travelling more cheaply, choosing destinations closer to home, spending less time abroad and spending less money.” For a full version of the report visit www.ilo.org.
