The 10 Most Tourism-Dependent Countries Suffering Amid COVID-19

While the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the entire global travel industry, leaving everyone from major airlines to small business operators in limbo for nine months now, there are some populations for whom the travel and tourism sector is the primary driver of their country's economy; and border closures and travel restrictions have left them in particularly dire straits.

Using the World Bank's TCdata360 database for 2020, Stacker ranked the world's nations according to the percentage of their GDP that comes from tourism. Unsurprisingly, it found that topping the list of the world's most tourism-dependent countries are tropical destinations that rely upon the universal allure of their natural surroundings as their greatest asset. Without a steady stream of visitors to feed their economies and support local jobs, these are the ten destinations that have been most damaged by COVID-19.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $2 billion (39.3 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 117,200 (35.7 percent of all jobs)

A popular destination in the South Pacific, Fiji's tourist arrivals fell by 99 percent in May 2020 compared with the same period last year. With such a large chunk of its revenue usually relying on foreign visitors, the country is expecting its overall economy to have declined by 21.7 percent this year.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $2 billion (41.2 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 54,000 (41.3 percent of all jobs)

This favorite in the Eastern Caribbean had almost no arrivals from April through June this year, but when Barbados reopened in July it also launched its 12-month 'Welcome Stamp' program to encourage digital nomads to come work and live for an extended period in its pocket of paradise, in hopes that this would increase foreigners' economic contributions to the island.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $794 million (41.8 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 61,400 (37.1 percent of all jobs)

Reuters reported that, without tourism dollars coming in, indigenous businesses owners in Belize are closing up shop and reverting to their roots as farmers and fisherman to sustain themselves. Situated on Central America's eastern coast abutting the Caribbean Sea, Belize boasts beautiful beaches, enchanting tropical jungles and the world's second-largest barrier reef.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $654.2 million (43.3 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 40,300 (52.4 percent of all jobs)

Thousands of locals found themselves abruptly unemployed on the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Lucia when COVID-19 forced travel-related businesses to close. After it was able to reopen for tourism on July 9, Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee testified at the end of August that the industry was seeing a "consistent flow" of visitors, thanks to the strict health and safety protocols enacted.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $807.1 million (44.4 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 95,400 (38.9 percent of all jobs)

A volcanic archipelago, located in the Central Atlantic about 300 miles west of Senegal, Cabo Verde boasts dramatic topography that encompasses craggy mountains, lush valleys and sparkling blue bays. Macau Business reported that the economic crisis suffered here after borders closed in mid-March prompted the U.S. government to step in, providing $1.5 million in emergency aid.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $380.4 million (45.9 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 30,800 (39.2 percent of all jobs)

Its economy devastated by the dearth of tourism and destruction wrought by category-five Cyclone Harold in April, Vanuatu-a South Pacific nation consisting of roughly 80 islands-launched a "citizenship-for-sale program" that managed to generate $33.3 million in the first half of 2020, The Guardian reported.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $4.5 billion (48.3 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 114,900 (56.2 percent of all jobs)

A perennial favorite among cruise-goers and beach vacationers

By mid-August, Bahamian Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Dionisio D'Aguilar, estimated that COVID-related shutdowns had cost the country $540 million, based on 2019 cruise-passenger spending alone. By October 15, The Bahamas had reopened with limitations and restrictions, implementing a "vacation-in-place" model under which guests must remain on-property at their resort or hotel.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $806.1 million (52.4 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 17,000 (46.2 percent of all jobs)

Antigua and Barbuda reopened to international tourists in June after a reported shutdown earlier in the year. With close to half the country's residents working in the tourism industry, its economy was understandably decimated by the effects of COVID-19. One bright spot is that the destination offers just what pandemic-era travelers are now seeking: an abundance of beautiful, natural, open areas, fresh air and gorgeous tropical waters to experience without encountering crowds.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $999.9 million (64.2 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 29,700 (63.7 percent of total jobs)

Seychelles is a 115-island archipelago, situated far off in the Indian Ocean off of Africa's eastern coast. By August, Alain St.Ange, Seychelles' former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine said that the country's main tourism source markets had dried up because of COVID-19. He proposed the idea that marijuana tourism (i.e., travelers flocking to "weed-friendly" destinations) was an untapped market that the government ought to be taking advantage of amid its economic crisis.

- Tourism total contribution to GDP: $3 billion (75.1 percent of total GDP)

- Jobs reliant on tourism: 80,400 (36.7 percent of total jobs)

The world's number one most tourism-dependent nation is The Maldives, a South Asian archipelagic state situated in the Indian Ocean that's acquired a reputation for being the closest thing to paradise on Earth. Pristine natural surroundings, brilliant-colored waters and the inherent seclusion the atolls provide for visitors have made it among the world's most enviable destinations.

Its economy being virtually built on tourism, The Maldives eagerly reopened on July 15, but afterward had to tighten entry requirements due to a spike in COVID-19 cases that affected over a dozen of its luxury-resort islets.