Bahrain has been given the highest rating in tourism recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, in a study published by a UK-based travel insurance website. Research done by experts at <a href="https://www.money.co.uk/travel/tourism-recovery" target="_blank">money.co.uk</a> placed Bahrain's tourism recovery rate at about 95 per cent, indicating that the Gulf nation's 2021 tourist numbers bounced almost all the way back to the 2019 level of 3.8 million. The study analysed each country’s tourist numbers in 2019, before the pandemic, and compared this with figures in 2021, to measure how well a nation's tourism industry recovered. It also found that tourists visiting the Gulf kingdom are spending less this time around, with Bahrain's 2021 tourism revenue registering at $1.8 billion, only 49 per cent of what it accumulated in 2019. Many governments around the world have already introduced tourism recovery plans to accelerate the sector’s recovery from the pandemic. In second place, Albania welcomed more that 5.3 million tourists in 2021, slightly short of its 2019 numbers at 89.8 per cent. Meanwhile Hong Kong’s tourism industry has struggled to recover the most, the research found ― dropping from 24 million tourists in 2019 to about 100,000 last year, or 0.4 per cent of its pre-Covid popularity. Japan fared a bit better than Hong Kong, with 2021 tourist volumes of about 200,000, or only 0.6 per cent of its 2019 total of 31.9 million. With the summer season finally here, money.co.uk estimates that the industry is set to grow, with travellers keen to go overseas for their holidays.
