BERLIN- International tourism is set to fall by 70% this year, marking the sector's biggest slump since records began in the 1950s, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili told newspaper Handelsblatt.

He said this prediction for the coronavirus-hit sector was based on the assumption that countries around the world would gradually open their borders from August.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; editing by Thomas Seythal) ((MichelleHannah.Martin@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 2888 5223; Reuters Messaging: MichelleHannah.Martin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))