International and Domestic Tourism During a Pandemic: New Challenges and Reality

Abstract

The article considers the development trends of international and domestic tourism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine restrictions that it caused. The change of indicators characterizing the tourist activity in the world in 2020 in comparison with 2019 and their corresponding change in the contribution of tourism to world GDP are analyzed. It is stated that the tourism industry has become one of the most affected sectors of the economy from the effects of quarantine bans and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience of some countries in the introduction of anti-crisis measures for tourism has been identified. It was noted that the governments of most countries responded fairly quickly to the need to minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, based on two general approaches to resolving the situation: the first approach was to provide affordable credit lines for business, the second – to delay debt and tax liabilities. In addition, the countries implemented measures to support citizens who lost their jobs due to quarantine restrictions. It is noted that special attention is paid to the resumption of tourism by those countries that consider the tourism industry to be strategically important and a priority. It is emphasized that that during the pandemic period, not only travel underwent transformations, but also new forms and terms appeared, which reveal these changes and reflect the attitude to them. It is emphasized that in Ukraine, unfortunately, there is a significant lag in the pace of implementation of anti-crisis measures aimed at supporting the most affected sectors of the economy, and in particular tourism. Therefore, it inevitably poses a serious threat to the competitiveness of the domestic tourism industry in the global market during its recovery. Given the further uncertainty of the end of the pandemic and the likelihood of further exacerbation of the crisis, Ukraine needs to prioritize the development of domestic tourism, which should be developed on the basis of advanced infrastructure and attractive and affordable tourism products.