21.5 million people in tourism sector lost their jobs since COVID-19 outbreak: Govt

Around 21.5 million people, involved in the tourism industry, have lost their jobs due to the three waves of COVID-19 that first hit the country in early 2020, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday. Reddy said tourist arrivals in the country were down by 93 percent during the first wave of COVID-19 outbreak, 79 percent in the second wave and 64 percent during the third wave.