HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

The tourism industry has been one of the industries most affected by the pandemic. The borders were closed one by one, travel was limited or even banned, and people were asked to stay in their homes. For tourism, 2020 has been a continuous decline. In 2020, tourism was among the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the travel restrictions as well as other precautionary measures taken in response. In 2020, the number of nights spent at European Union (EU) tourist accommodation establishments totalled 1.4 billion, down by 52% compared with 2019. Market research confirms that 2020 has become the year of domestic tourism. 1 March 2021 marks a year since the beginning of the most difficult period in the tourism industry. People’s desire to travel has not disappeared, but their behaviour regarding the scheduling of the next vacation has changed. In 2021, tourists tend to choose more isolated destinations, with more green space and away from mass tourism. And while storm clouds appear to be dissipating in 2021 with the start of the vaccination campaign, there are still many questions about what this year’s trip will look like. As the pandemic shows no signs of stopping soon and the vaccination campaign is progressing slowly due to the limited number of vaccines and logistical organization problems, tourism cannot stop and wait for better times. And, moreover, the future of this industry seems at this moment an equation with unknown Ns. The challenges will be especially for those who receive tourists, because they must give them the confidence to start traveling again as in the past. The aim of European tourism policy is to maintain Europe’s position as a top tourist destination, while maximizing the industry’s contribution to growth and employment and promoting cooperation between EU countries. Business Magazine identified five key questions for tourism entrepreneurs to determine how and where tourists will spend their holidays in 2021.