The Economic Impact Of Online Travel Agencies In Apac

Economic activity in much of developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP), other than several Pacific Island Countries, has recovered from the succession of shocks since 2020 but is now slowing down. Private consumption and the recovery of tourism had sustained growth in the region but is running out of steam. Slowing global growth is leading to a contraction in exports. Public investment and private investment also remain low in much of the region. Most governments in the region are projected to consolidate fiscally in 2023. The revival of growth in the region will depend crucially on the state of the services sectors. Even though manufacturing has powered EAP development, services already account for more than half of value added and employment. A digital revolution is leading to structural change within all services sectors, with the combination of new domestic platform-based services and more internationally tradable services boosting productivity. Harnessing the digital revolution for inclusive economic growth requires deeper services reforms.

This departmental paper analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in the Asia Pacific region, Latin America, and Caribbean countries. Many tourism dependent economies in these regions, including small states in the Pacific and the Caribbean, entered the pandemic with limited fiscal space, inadequate external buffers, and foreign exchange revenues extremely concentrated in tourism. The empirical analysis leverages on an augmented gravity model to draw lessons from past epidemics and finds that the impact of infectious diseases on tourism flows is much greater in developing countries than in advanced economies.

The growing market of tourism in Asian countries has caused significant changes to the economy, transportation, and safety for citizens. With the ubiquity of tourism, there is now an increasing need for resources to assist in the challenges that arise. Tourism and Opportunities for Economic Development in Asia is a key resource on the priorities, challenges, and strategies in the globalized economy of the Asian tourism market. Highlighting multidisciplinary studies on cultural tourism, gastronomy, and hospitality management, this publication is an ideal reference source for academicians, researchers, politicians, policy makers, and information technology directors actively involved in the tourism industry.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted both supply and demand sides of an interconnected world economy in 2020. Asia and the Pacific was not immune as lockdowns and travel and trade restrictions affected nearly all aspects of cross-border economic activity. This publication examines the initial impact on trade, investment, finance, and people’s mobility across the region as the pandemic struck. It looks at how regional economies individually or collectively respond to the crisis by, for example, leveraging rapid technological progress and digitalization as well as increasing services trade to reconnect and recover. The theme chapter focuses on digital platforms and how they can accelerate digital transformation across the region.