COVID-19 Pandemic and Local Cultural Tourism in the Buzău Carpathians and Subcarpathians (Romania)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was and continues to be a major challenge for tourist activities worldwide. Cultural tourism was mostly hit because of the social distancing measures, travel restrictions and ban on people gatherings for cultural events. The current study is trying to provide an overall image of the challenges local cultural tourism has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic in a predominantly rural area of Romania—the Buzău Carpathians and Subcarpathians. The area has a high tourist potential stemming from the complexity and diversity of the natural landscapes and the local historical setting. The survey relies on two field campaigns carried out in 2020 when 161 questionnaires were applied to tourists, businesses and residents. The results highlight the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses during and after the travel restrictions (e.g., revenue losses, temporary business shut-downs and layoffs/technical unemployment), but also on tourists’ travelling preferences and sentiment and on residents’ attitudes and behaviour.

A Geographical Perspective on the Impact of Covid-19 on Tourism Demand in Romania

“…However, not all areas were impacted in the same way and at the same levels, and most importantly, the road to reco very varied significantly among destinations, since naturally the vulnerability in contexts of shocks and crises varies from one territory to another (Duro et al, 2022;Škare et al, 2021). Regional and local factors related to the environment, society, economy, cultu re or governments are determinants of the differentiated impact felt across destinations (Mitrică et al, 2022).…”

“…Matters related to the effects that COVID-19 pandemic had on tourism sector have naturally been of interest for the Romanian territory as well. While some studies aimed at an analysis of the entire country (Aivaz and Micu, 2021;Cehan and Iațu, 2023;Iftimoaei et al, 2023;Mazilu et al, 2023;Nancu et al, 2023;Popescu, 2021;Popescu et al, 2022) , others focused on particular territories, through case studies on diverse issues related to the changes induced by the pandemic (Boiciuc, 2022;Coroș et al, 2021;Crismariu et al, 2022;Dragomir et al, 2021;M atei et al, 2021;Mitrică et al, 2022;Munteanu et al, 2022;Volkmann et al, 2021).…”

“…The case studies are also divided between assessments of the pandemic's impact on tourism demand or offer (Boiciuc, 2022;Crismariu et al, 2022;Munteanu et al, 2022) and analyses of perceptions and actions of various stakeholders (Coroș et al, 2021;Matei et al, 2021;Mitrică et al, 2022;Volkmann et al, 2021) , but this time for certain areas (regions or destinations) or types of tourism. Particular attention has been offered to the region of Bukovina, both through statistical analyses of tourism offer and demand (Boiciuc, 2022) and through investigations regarding the role of public administration in the recovery of the tourism sector in the area (Matei et al, 2021).…”

“…Particular attention has been offered to the region of Bukovina, both through statistical analyses of tourism offer and demand (Boiciuc, 2022) and through investigations regarding the role of public administration in the recovery of the tourism sector in the area (Matei et al, 2021). A more complex approach is based on assessing the challenges that cultural tourism has faced in rural areas in Buzău County (Mitrică et al, 2022), implying data gathered from tourists, businesses and residents.…”

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Impact of Anti-Covid-19 Measures on the Population of Romania (March 16, 2020 – March 8, 2022)

“…Employment contracts were suspended, most of them in the following fields: the manufacturing industry, wholesale and retail trade, motor vehicle and motorcycle repair, as well as hotel and restaurant services, which accounted for more than 50% of the suspended contracts. One of the sectors most affected by the pandemic was tourism, due to the quarantine which limited the free movement of people, making access to tourist attractions impossible (Mitrică et al, 2022). To mitigate the effects of the reduced activity during the pandemic, the decision was made to grant financial aid and reduce specific taxes for HoReCa businesses (Munteanu et al, 2022).…”