Academic Articles -- ޢިލްމީ ލިޔުންތަކުގެ ޖަމާ
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Item COVID-19 and tourism in South Asia : opportunities for sustainable regional outcomes(World Bank, 2020-06) Twining Ward, Louise; McComb, Jessie F.COVID-19 (coronavirus) is affecting nearly 47.7 million travel and tourism jobs across South Asia, many held by women and vulnerable communities working in the informal sector. Losses of over 50 billion US dollars in gross domestic product in the region are expected in the travel and tourism sector alone as a result of the crisis. Governments are already responding with emergency programs to help small and medium enterprises stay afloat and save jobs. As the South Asia region moves from crisis to recovery planning, governments and destinations have an opportunity to think strategically about the future of their tourism sectors and implement policies that will improve the industry. This regional brief is designed to raise awareness of the importance of tourism to the region and to the World Bank's regional portfolio, highlight some measures being taken by governments and the Bank to address the crisis, and provide recommendations for short- and medium-term sustainable regional recovery, including through greater intraregional tourism. The brief covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan was excluded due to a lack of data.Item Maldives development update, June 2020 : in stormy seas(World Bank, 2020-06) World Bank Group; ވޯރލްޑް ބޭންކް ގްރޫޕްFollowing three consecutive years of growth above 6 percent, the Maldivian economy kept momentum in 2019. Preliminary estimates indicate that real GDP decelerated slightly to 5.3 percent, from 6.9 percent in the previous year. Tourist arrivals reached a record high of 1.7 million, a 14.7 percent increase from 2018. Strong tourism growth compensated for softer construction activity, which grew by only 3.1 percent as many large infrastructure projects were completed in late 2018. This marked the slowest rate of construction growth since the public investment boom began in 2014. The global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the Maldives’ economy more than any other country in South Asia. Although the Government acted quickly to protect lives, barring incoming travelers from affected areas as early as February 3 and closing its borders on March 27, a substantial domestic outbreak commenced on April 15. As this report is being written, nearly 2,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and 8 have lost their lives to the disease. The real toll of the pandemic, however, is much higher, with thousands of livelihoods affected by the shutdown of tourism. Tourist arrivals fell by 11.1 and 63.4 percent year-on-year (y-on-y) in February and March respectively and remained at zero for the entire second quarter. Cumulatively, the 65 percent y-on-y fall in tourist arrivals from February-May 2020 exceeds the decline in tourist arrivals experienced in the four months after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Construction has also been affected, as half the COVID-19 cases affect Bangladeshi nationals, many of whom work in the sector, and as external financing has dried up.