24
hand, coupled with the decline of support provided by donors and the Palestinian economy loss of its most important financial resource in the form of “clearance revenues” (2)as an outcome to the intransigence of the occupation authorities on the other hand.
The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic led to the declaration of a state of emergency. The Palestinian government took a set of precautionary measures to eliminate the virus spread, including suspending the educational process in schools and universities and enforced total or partial lockdown of many economic activities, which led to the loss of many job opportunities.
These measures have added more burdens and exacerbated the economic situation, along with the additional loads the economy bears due to the occupation and its continuous practices of perpetuating the dependence of the Palestinian economy on it.
2 Import taxes collected by the occupation authorities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Annex Tables
24
hand, coupled with the decline of support provided by donors and the Palestinian economy loss of its most important financial resource in the form of “clearance revenues” (2)as an outcome to the intransigence of the occupation authorities on the other hand.
The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic led to the declaration of a state of emergency. The Palestinian government took a set of precautionary measures to eliminate the virus spread, including suspending the educational process in schools and universities and enforced total or partial lockdown of many economic activities, which led to the loss of many job opportunities.
These measures have added more burdens and exacerbated the economic situation, along with the additional loads the economy bears due to the occupation and its continuous practices of perpetuating the dependence of the Palestinian economy on it.
2 Import taxes collected by the occupation authorities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Annex Tables
24
hand, coupled with the decline of support provided by donors and the Palestinian economy loss of its most important financial resource in the form of “clearance revenues” (2)as an outcome to the intransigence of the occupation authorities on the other hand.
The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic led to the declaration of a state of emergency. The Palestinian government took a set of precautionary measures to eliminate the virus spread, including suspending the educational process in schools and universities and enforced total or partial lockdown of many economic activities, which led to the loss of many job opportunities.
These measures have added more burdens and exacerbated the economic situation, along with the additional loads the economy bears due to the occupation and its continuous practices of perpetuating the dependence of the Palestinian economy on it.
2 Import taxes collected by the occupation authorities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Annex Tables
24
hand, coupled with the decline of support provided by donors and the Palestinian economy loss of its most important financial resource in the form of “clearance revenues” (2)as an outcome to the intransigence of the occupation authorities on the other hand.
The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic led to the declaration of a state of emergency. The Palestinian government took a set of precautionary measures to eliminate the virus spread, including suspending the educational process in schools and universities and enforced total or partial lockdown of many economic activities, which led to the loss of many job opportunities.
These measures have added more burdens and exacerbated the economic situation, along with the additional loads the economy bears due to the occupation and its continuous practices of perpetuating the dependence of the Palestinian economy on it.
2 Import taxes collected by the occupation authorities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
23
is also considered a link between different value chains. It brings together a complex network of interconnected industries and generates 7 percent of the global trade.
The Arab countries have elements that make the tourism sector a pillar that effectively contributes to achieving sustainable development goals. The sector contributes about 10 percent of the Arab countries' GDP, generates a significant part of job opportunities, stimulates demand for local goods and services, and strengthens official reserves and receipts of foreign currencies, which is reflected positively on the development plans in the Arab countries. The COVID-19 Pandemic had a severe negative impact on the tourism sector's performance in several Arab countries, especially those that depend heavily on tourism revenues to support growth and external balance.
Arab governments have saved no effort to support the tourism and travel sector because of its great significance. The last ten years have witnessed vigorous efforts to prepare the infrastructure and legislation to support this sector and attract foreign investments towards it.
Therefore, the governments rapidly took measures to support the tourism and travel sector since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the governments called for precautionary measures that include "social distancing," which significantly impacted the tourism and travel sector, Arab countries have rapidly worked to contain the crisis and provide a more than USD 190 billion subsidy to the tourism sector.
In this context, the Arab governments have adopted packages of policies aimed at mitigating the negative repercussions on the tourism sector, ensuring the ability of its institutions to afford operational costs, and enabling them to retain labor. These interventions varied between facilitating access to credit and liquidity at an affordable cost, government guarantees for banks to expand credit directing to this sector, exempting sector institutions from installments and interest payments on loans, postponing taxes due, and other interventions to contain the impact of the shock. Various Arab countries have provided support in multiple ways to ensure the continuity of the sector's work and reduce its losses as much as possible.
(Chapter 13)
The Palestinian Economy
In 2020, the Palestinian economy was negatively impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the total and partial lockdown measures that affected the performance of important economic sectors, especially the tourism, industry, and service sectors, in addition to cutting many economic activities. Accordingly, many workers in the private sector institutions lost their source of income.
Therefore, the Palestinian economy recorded a drop in the GDP at current prices reached about 9.2 percent during 2020, compared to the previous year. The Palestinian economy entered a state of economic recession compounded by the strict restrictions imposed on the Palestinian territories and the control of potentials, natural resources, crossings, and borders, on the one
22
commencement of its member institutions’ activities to the end of 2020 to about USD 245 billion, Annex (11/6) & Figure (11.1).
Source: Annex 11/6.
(Chapter 12)
Arab Cooperation in the Travel and Tourism Sector as One of the Sectors Most Affected by Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The tourism and travel sector is one of the vital and dynamic sectors in the global economy. It was the most affected sector due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the government's precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Pandemic through the enforced measures within the total or partial lockdown. The Pandemic resulted in an unprecedented recession leading to an exceptional disruption of the performance of the tourism and travel sector and suspension of flights around the world, which led to a decline in the sector's revenues by between 60 and 80 percent, representing a loss of USD 910 to 1,170 billion in tourism revenues.
The risk of a decline in the performance of the tourism and travel sector is a global concern, as it represents about 30 percent of the global service exports. Such percentage increases to 45 percent of the total services exports in developing countries. According to the data of the World Tourism Organization, the sector also contributes about 10.4 percent of the Gross World Product. In addition, it's an intensive labor sector, as it provides job opportunities estimated at 300 million jobs, meaning that it employs one out of every ten people worldwide. The sector
Figure 11.1 :Sectoral Distribution of Official Development Assistance Provided by Arab and Regional Development Funds
(2020)
23
is also considered a link between different value chains. It brings together a complex network of interconnected industries and generates 7 percent of the global trade.
The Arab countries have elements that make the tourism sector a pillar that effectively contributes to achieving sustainable development goals. The sector contributes about 10 percent of the Arab countries' GDP, generates a significant part of job opportunities, stimulates demand for local goods and services, and strengthens official reserves and receipts of foreign currencies, which is reflected positively on the development plans in the Arab countries. The COVID-19 Pandemic had a severe negative impact on the tourism sector's performance in several Arab countries, especially those that depend heavily on tourism revenues to support growth and external balance.
Arab governments have saved no effort to support the tourism and travel sector because of its great significance. The last ten years have witnessed vigorous efforts to prepare the infrastructure and legislation to support this sector and attract foreign investments towards it.
Therefore, the governments rapidly took measures to support the tourism and travel sector since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the governments called for precautionary measures that include "social distancing," which significantly impacted the tourism and travel sector, Arab countries have rapidly worked to contain the crisis and provide a more than USD 190 billion subsidy to the tourism sector.
In this context, the Arab governments have adopted packages of policies aimed at mitigating the negative repercussions on the tourism sector, ensuring the ability of its institutions to afford operational costs, and enabling them to retain labor. These interventions varied between facilitating access to credit and liquidity at an affordable cost, government guarantees for banks to expand credit directing to this sector, exempting sector institutions from installments and interest payments on loans, postponing taxes due, and other interventions to contain the impact of the shock. Various Arab countries have provided support in multiple ways to ensure the continuity of the sector's work and reduce its losses as much as possible.
(Chapter 13)
The Palestinian Economy
In 2020, the Palestinian economy was negatively impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the total and partial lockdown measures that affected the performance of important economic sectors, especially the tourism, industry, and service sectors, in addition to cutting many economic activities. Accordingly, many workers in the private sector institutions lost their source of income.
Therefore, the Palestinian economy recorded a drop in the GDP at current prices reached about 9.2 percent during 2020, compared to the previous year. The Palestinian economy entered a state of economic recession compounded by the strict restrictions imposed on the Palestinian territories and the control of potentials, natural resources, crossings, and borders, on the one
22
commencement of its member institutions’ activities to the end of 2020 to about USD 245 billion, Annex (11/6) & Figure (11.1).
Source: Annex 11/6.
(Chapter 12)
Arab Cooperation in the Travel and Tourism Sector as One of the Sectors Most Affected by Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The tourism and travel sector is one of the vital and dynamic sectors in the global economy. It was the most affected sector due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the government's precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Pandemic through the enforced measures within the total or partial lockdown. The Pandemic resulted in an unprecedented recession leading to an exceptional disruption of the performance of the tourism and travel sector and suspension of flights around the world, which led to a decline in the sector's revenues by between 60 and 80 percent, representing a loss of USD 910 to 1,170 billion in tourism revenues.
The risk of a decline in the performance of the tourism and travel sector is a global concern, as it represents about 30 percent of the global service exports. Such percentage increases to 45 percent of the total services exports in developing countries. According to the data of the World Tourism Organization, the sector also contributes about 10.4 percent of the Gross World Product. In addition, it's an intensive labor sector, as it provides job opportunities estimated at 300 million jobs, meaning that it employs one out of every ten people worldwide. The sector
Figure 11.1 :Sectoral Distribution of Official Development Assistance Provided by Arab and Regional Development Funds
(2020)
23
is also considered a link between different value chains. It brings together a complex network of interconnected industries and generates 7 percent of the global trade.
The Arab countries have elements that make the tourism sector a pillar that effectively contributes to achieving sustainable development goals. The sector contributes about 10 percent of the Arab countries' GDP, generates a significant part of job opportunities, stimulates demand for local goods and services, and strengthens official reserves and receipts of foreign currencies, which is reflected positively on the development plans in the Arab countries. The COVID-19 Pandemic had a severe negative impact on the tourism sector's performance in several Arab countries, especially those that depend heavily on tourism revenues to support growth and external balance.
Arab governments have saved no effort to support the tourism and travel sector because of its great significance. The last ten years have witnessed vigorous efforts to prepare the infrastructure and legislation to support this sector and attract foreign investments towards it.
Therefore, the governments rapidly took measures to support the tourism and travel sector since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the governments called for precautionary measures that include "social distancing," which significantly impacted the tourism and travel sector, Arab countries have rapidly worked to contain the crisis and provide a more than USD 190 billion subsidy to the tourism sector.
In this context, the Arab governments have adopted packages of policies aimed at mitigating the negative repercussions on the tourism sector, ensuring the ability of its institutions to afford operational costs, and enabling them to retain labor. These interventions varied between facilitating access to credit and liquidity at an affordable cost, government guarantees for banks to expand credit directing to this sector, exempting sector institutions from installments and interest payments on loans, postponing taxes due, and other interventions to contain the impact of the shock. Various Arab countries have provided support in multiple ways to ensure the continuity of the sector's work and reduce its losses as much as possible.
(Chapter 13)
The Palestinian Economy
In 2020, the Palestinian economy was negatively impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the total and partial lockdown measures that affected the performance of important economic sectors, especially the tourism, industry, and service sectors, in addition to cutting many economic activities. Accordingly, many workers in the private sector institutions lost their source of income.
Therefore, the Palestinian economy recorded a drop in the GDP at current prices reached about 9.2 percent during 2020, compared to the previous year. The Palestinian economy entered a state of economic recession compounded by the strict restrictions imposed on the Palestinian territories and the control of potentials, natural resources, crossings, and borders, on the one
22
commencement of its member institutions’ activities to the end of 2020 to about USD 245 billion, Annex (11/6) & Figure (11.1).
Source: Annex 11/6.
(Chapter 12)
Arab Cooperation in the Travel and Tourism Sector as One of the Sectors Most Affected by Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The tourism and travel sector is one of the vital and dynamic sectors in the global economy. It was the most affected sector due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the government's precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Pandemic through the enforced measures within the total or partial lockdown. The Pandemic resulted in an unprecedented recession leading to an exceptional disruption of the performance of the tourism and travel sector and suspension of flights around the world, which led to a decline in the sector's revenues by between 60 and 80 percent, representing a loss of USD 910 to 1,170 billion in tourism revenues.
The risk of a decline in the performance of the tourism and travel sector is a global concern, as it represents about 30 percent of the global service exports. Such percentage increases to 45 percent of the total services exports in developing countries. According to the data of the World Tourism Organization, the sector also contributes about 10.4 percent of the Gross World Product. In addition, it's an intensive labor sector, as it provides job opportunities estimated at 300 million jobs, meaning that it employs one out of every ten people worldwide. The sector
Figure 11.1 :Sectoral Distribution of Official Development Assistance Provided by Arab and Regional Development Funds
(2020)
23
is also considered a link between different value chains. It brings together a complex network of interconnected industries and generates 7 percent of the global trade.
The Arab countries have elements that make the tourism sector a pillar that effectively contributes to achieving sustainable development goals. The sector contributes about 10 percent of the Arab countries' GDP, generates a significant part of job opportunities, stimulates demand for local goods and services, and strengthens official reserves and receipts of foreign currencies, which is reflected positively on the development plans in the Arab countries. The COVID-19 Pandemic had a severe negative impact on the tourism sector's performance in several Arab countries, especially those that depend heavily on tourism revenues to support growth and external balance.
Arab governments have saved no effort to support the tourism and travel sector because of its great significance. The last ten years have witnessed vigorous efforts to prepare the infrastructure and legislation to support this sector and attract foreign investments towards it.
Therefore, the governments rapidly took measures to support the tourism and travel sector since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the governments called for precautionary measures that include "social distancing," which significantly impacted the tourism and travel sector, Arab countries have rapidly worked to contain the crisis and provide a more than USD 190 billion subsidy to the tourism sector.
In this context, the Arab governments have adopted packages of policies aimed at mitigating the negative repercussions on the tourism sector, ensuring the ability of its institutions to afford operational costs, and enabling them to retain labor. These interventions varied between facilitating access to credit and liquidity at an affordable cost, government guarantees for banks to expand credit directing to this sector, exempting sector institutions from installments and interest payments on loans, postponing taxes due, and other interventions to contain the impact of the shock. Various Arab countries have provided support in multiple ways to ensure the continuity of the sector's work and reduce its losses as much as possible.
(Chapter 13)
The Palestinian Economy
In 2020, the Palestinian economy was negatively impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the total and partial lockdown measures that affected the performance of important economic sectors, especially the tourism, industry, and service sectors, in addition to cutting many economic activities. Accordingly, many workers in the private sector institutions lost their source of income.
Therefore, the Palestinian economy recorded a drop in the GDP at current prices reached about 9.2 percent during 2020, compared to the previous year. The Palestinian economy entered a state of economic recession compounded by the strict restrictions imposed on the Palestinian territories and the control of potentials, natural resources, crossings, and borders, on the one
22
commencement of its member institutions’ activities to the end of 2020 to about USD 245 billion, Annex (11/6) & Figure (11.1).
Source: Annex 11/6.
(Chapter 12)
Arab Cooperation in the Travel and Tourism Sector as One of the Sectors Most Affected by Repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The tourism and travel sector is one of the vital and dynamic sectors in the global economy. It was the most affected sector due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic due to the government's precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Pandemic through the enforced measures within the total or partial lockdown. The Pandemic resulted in an unprecedented recession leading to an exceptional disruption of the performance of the tourism and travel sector and suspension of flights around the world, which led to a decline in the sector's revenues by between 60 and 80 percent, representing a loss of USD 910 to 1,170 billion in tourism revenues.
The risk of a decline in the performance of the tourism and travel sector is a global concern, as it represents about 30 percent of the global service exports. Such percentage increases to 45 percent of the total services exports in developing countries. According to the data of the World Tourism Organization, the sector also contributes about 10.4 percent of the Gross World Product. In addition, it's an intensive labor sector, as it provides job opportunities estimated at 300 million jobs, meaning that it employs one out of every ten people worldwide. The sector
Figure 11.1 :Sectoral Distribution of Official Development Assistance Provided by Arab and Regional Development Funds
(2020)