Are destinations reverting to the pre-pandemic “normal”?

Abstract

With three years having elapsed since the pandemic onset, a comprehensive assessment of the adaptation process and its extent becomes crucial. In this research note, we provide evidence in this regard by analyzing the tourism resilience determinants of the Spanish provinces throughout the entire 2020–2022 period. The results show that some determinants have played a time-varying role during shock absorption in 2020, adaptation in 2021, and market recovery in 2022. Although the previous equilibrium has been partially reached, there are still persistent effects that remain in 2022. These include the tourist preferences for natural tourism in front of the urban product or the incomplete recovery of distant markets. These insights provide valuable perspectives on the dynamics of the tourism industry and inform strategies to achieve a complete rebound.