One destination in three worldwide is now totally closed to international tourism.

The emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus has led many governments to reverse the efforts of easing travel restriction, with total closures in Asia, the Pacific, and Europe for tourists most prevalent.

A comprehensive overview of the legislation in 217 destinations worldwide is provided in the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report.

While the previous report made clear a move towards easing or lifting travel restrictions, the latest report shows that governments have taken a cautious approach because of the continuing severity of the epidemiological situation.

32% of all tourism destinations in the world (69 in total) are closed to international tourism by the beginning of February.

About half of these (38 destinations) were closed for at least 40 weeks.

At the same time, 34% of international tourist destinations in the world are now partially closed.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Polilikashvili said travel restrictions have been widely used to restrict the spread of the virus.

"Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognize that restrictions are just one part of the solution. Their use must be based on the latest data and analysis and consistently reviewed to allow for the safe and responsible restart of a sector upon which many millions of businesses and jobs depend,"he said.