THE EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC OVER THE TOURISM SECTOR: A REVIEW

Tourism is considered as one of the most relevant economic sectors at international level due to the multiple roles it holds, namely: economic, social role, cultural, educational and political. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant damage globally and has expanded very quickly across the world by affecting almost all the industries due to the restrictions, lockdowns and quarantines. As a result of the pandemic crisis, the tourism sector was severely affected. Therefore, this paper aim is to reflect the negative and positive effects of the pandemic with SARS-COV-2 virus on tourism, and also to highlight the relevance and sensitivity of this sector during crisis events. The study focuses on the negative effects suffered by this sector during the pandemic, but also represents an effective opportunity to reconsider how that tourism interacts with our societies, thus, certain positive effects and strategies that were identified both on short and long- term, in order to try to minimize the shocks created by the pandemic. The economic crisis caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus has also encouraged inclining tourism towards upskilling, increasing the process of digitization of the ecosystem and protecting the environment.