Morocco is prepared in terms of health and has a solid infrastructure to welcome tourists, underlined Pololikashvili in an interview with MAP, welcoming the decisions taken by the Moroccan government in particular in favor of the private sector, which has been affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pololikashvili recalled, in this regard, the major contribution of tourism in the Moroccan economy, highlighting the importance of financially supporting the thousands of families living in the sector.

The UN official also underlined the need to boost domestic tourism as an initial step, given the travel restrictions put in place worldwide.

"Tourists have started to move more, to visit and to discover new destinations. Domestic tourism would be the first step to revive tourism all over the world," he said.

The UN official underlined that the revival of world tourism hinges on several factors, in particular the opening of borders.

"Today, nearly 80% of countries have closed their borders by imposing various types of restrictions."

The revival will also depend on the lifting of restrictions and the progress of vaccination campaigns around the world, he said, stressing the need to develop a harmonized protocol for people who will be vaccinated.

According to UNWTO estimates, a return to normality is expected in 3 to 4 years, the UN official said, adding that this will require patience, several analyzes and innovative projects, such as the digital passport.

Global tourism lost 1.3 trillion dollars in 2020, according to the Organization. A figure which represents "more than 11 times the loss recorded during the global economic crisis of 2009" and corresponds to a fall of 74% of tourist arrivals in the world compared to 2019.

"The year 2020 is the worst year in the history of tourism with 1 billion fewer international arrivals compared to 2019", according to the Madrid-based UN agency.