Europe urgently needs to fill 1.2 million travel and tourism jobs. It is reported by the European Tourism Commission..

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council and the European Tourism Commission, the recovery of the travel and tourism sector in the European Union will be in jeopardy if 1.2 million jobs are not filled.

Vacancies likely to go unfilled during busy summer period. Travel agencies are predicted to be hit the hardest, with staff shortages as high as 30%.

Airlines and hospitality have 1 in 5 job vacancies and are short of about 20% of staff.

" However, the current labor shortage could delay this trend and put additional pressure on an already struggling sector,” said Commission Board President and Executive Director Julia Simpson..

In 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak, 1.7 million direct jobs were lost. In 2021, as governments began easing travel restrictions, the sector's direct contribution to the European Union's economy resumed by 30.4 percent. Then 571,000 jobs were restored.

This year, the Rada predicts that the recovery of the sector will continue to accelerate and will almost reach pre-pandemic levels..

The profile structure identified measures that governments and the private sector can implement to address this problem:.

promote labor mobility within countries and abroad, and strengthen cooperation at all levels by providing visas and work permits;

enable flexible and remote work where possible, especially if travel restrictions continue to prevent workers from crossing borders freely;

provide decent work, social protection and career opportunities – with safe, fair, productive and meaningful work to increase the attractiveness of the sector as a career choice and retain new talent.

ensure the promotion and retraining of talents, as well as comprehensive training.

create and promote education and learning through effective policies and public-private partnerships that support education programs and apprenticeship-based learning.

implement innovative technology and digital solutions to improve everyday operations to ensure safe and seamless travel and enhance the customer experience.

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Recall that a year ago, The Economist did not predict a special surge in tourism in 2022..