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https://doi.org/10.29013/ESR-21-5.6-79-82
Kadagidze Lamara, PhD in Education, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Grigol Robakidze University, Georgia E-mail: [email protected] Piranashvili Maka, PhD in Engineering Sciences, Associate Professor, School of Business Technologies Georgian Technical University, Georgia E-mail: [email protected]
THE POST-PANDEMIC WORLD TOURISM REVIVAL EFFORTS
Abstract. The pandemic crisis is creating a great hardship for local communities of low-income and developing economies like of Georgia, since they considerably depend on tourism and therefore face a serious risk of higher poverty. Policy action at national and international levels, as well as heightened coordination, are essential across sectors and borders. Key policy priorities include: restoring traveler confidence; supporting tourism businesses to adapt and survive; promoting domestic tourism and supporting safe return of international tourism; providing possibly clear information to travelers and businesses limiting uncertainty; evolving response measures to maintain capacity in the sector and address gaps in supports; strengthening co-operation within and between countries, building more resilient, sustainable tourism; taking steps to learn from the crisis to perform a coordinated action across governments at all levels and the private sector.
Keywords: tourism, pandemic, measures, policies, crisis, shifts, recovery.
Introduction: Tourism generates foreign ex- Portugal (6%), Morocco (4%), Greece (4%), Ireland change, supports jobs and businesses, drives regional (3%) and Spain (3%). This could rise to a fall of 4.2% of development and underpins local communities. Be- world's GDP (USD3.3 trillion) ifinternational tourism fore the pandemic, the sector directly contributed flows are at a standstill for 12 months [3]. 4.4% of GDP, 6.9% of employment, and 21.5% of The World Travel and Tourism Council calcu-service exports in OECD countries; and 6.5% of lates that up to 174 million jobs were at risk globally global exports [1]. The UN World Tourism Organi- in 2020. The European Commission's Joint Research zation now foresees a decline in international arrivals Centre forecasts that between 6.6-11.7 million jobs close to 70%, with recovery to pre-crisis levels not in businesses operating and/or dependent on tour-expected before 2023 [2]. ism-related activities could be at risk of reduction in
UNCTAD, estimates that global GDP losses due to working hours or permanent losses in 2020, repre-the crisis in tourism could amount to 2.8% ofthe world's senting between 3.2% and 5.6% of the total active GDP (USD1.2 trillion), if international tourist arrivals population in the European Union [4]. drop by 66%, with the consequences most marked in Policies undertaken by countries: Tourism con-countries like Croatia (potential drop in GDP of 8%), tinues to be one of the sectors hardest impacted by the
coronavirus pandemic. Encouraging news on vaccines has accelerated hopes for recovery but challenges remain and the sector is still trying to survive in 2021. International tourism requires global co-operation and evidence-based solutions to truly and completely restore and reactivate the sector. Governments have taken impressive immediate action to build a more resilient tourism economy post COVID-19. For example: [5] Thailand allocated $700 million to spur domestic tourism, while Vanuatu offered grants to small and medium-sized enterprises. In Jamaica, the government gave free online training certification classes to 10,000 tourism workers to help improve their skills. In the same country an online platform was launched that allows buyers in the hotel industry to directly purchase goods from local farmers. In Costa Rica, national holidays have temporarily been moved to Mondays to boost domestic tourism by extending weekends. Barbados introduced a 'Welcome Stamp' visa - a one-year residency permit that allows remote employees to live and work from the country. Similarly, Fiji launched a Blue Lanes initiative that allows yachts to berth in its marinas after meeting strict quarantine and testing requirements [5].
Tourism businesses of Singapore have displayed immense resilience and adaptability throughout the difficult period, reinventing their business models and leveraging technology to find solutions in a COVID-19 world. As of the first month of 2021, 45 attractions, 270 hotels, and 1,686 tour itineraries have received approval to resume operations; Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has issued more than 1,390 SG Clean Quality Mark certificates to tourism-related premises; 33 cruises carrying over 42,000 passengers have been completed with no reported incidents of COVID-19 transmission on board; there were 1,145 promotions offered by 213 merchants: STB launched the S$ 320 million Singa-poRediscovers Vouchers scheme in December 2020; over 300,000 Singaporeans had used the scheme to make bookings with Singapore hotels, attractions and tours, spending S$ 35.9 million in redemptions
and out-of-pocket payments. STB also forged new partnerships with e-commerce players, banks, payment gateways and online travel agents to promote Singapore tourism offerings, exchange insights and enhance visitor experiences. STB partnered with technology, media and tourism industry players in key source markets to jointly promote Singapore as an attractive destination for future travelers. To build new digital capabilities, STB united with digital players such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Airbnb Experiences and Amazon Explore to conduct online Masterclass-es or workshops for the tourism industry [6].
[7] On May 14, 2021 Greece opened its borders in a safe and attainable manner with strict requirements for travelers before and upon arrival proving ready to welcome visitors applying advanced health protection protocols. In 2021, Greek Tourism is settled to operate with the maximum safety possible, for tourists, employees and every person involved in the provision of tourist services.
The protocols have proved effective, and will be updated according to epidemiological conditions. The Ministry of Tourism and the Hotel Chamber of Greece will provide certification to all lodgings that apply these protocols. Moreover, training material will be provided to the employees of these businesses, in order to ensure the correct application of all health and safety measures against Covid-19 [7].
Turkey - a host of millions of tourists every year offers the "Tourist Protection Support Insurance" and "Extra Accommodation Cost Guarantee" in a single package for a more enjoyable and safe vacation. The project, implemented by Turkey Sigorta under the leadership of the Republic of Turkey, enables tourists enjoy their holiday with the mentioned policies whilst leaving the fear of Covid-19 that took over the whole world behind [8].
EC Measures: [9] The European Commission has put in place a number of measures to support the travel and tourism sector:
1. In May 2021, it adopted the tourism and transport package of initiatives and common cri-
teria. The package aims to help member states lift travel restrictions within the EU and allow tourism businesses to reopen respecting necessary health precautions.
2. In June 2021, a dedicated website and a mobile application REOPEN EU with an interactive map was launched, to provide tourists and travelers with relevant information on safe travel in the EU.
3. 100,000 small businesses hit by the crisis were financed up to €8 billion through the European Investment Fund.
4. To allow companies to safeguard jobs, the SURE program is helping member states cover the costs of national short-time work schemes and similar measures. The Commission supporting partnerships between employment services, social partners and companies to facilitate reskilling, especially for seasonal workers.
5. In July 2021, the European Council will have reached an agreement on the EU's recovery plan and budget between 2021-2027. It authorizes the Commission to borrow up to € 750 billion on financial markets, € 672.5 billion going to the 'Recovery and Resilience Facility' [9].
Urgent shifts to be implemented: As borders start reopening and interest in leisure rebounds in some regions, governments could take the opportunity to rethink their role within tourism, thereby potentially both assisting in the sector's recovery and strengthening it in the long term. The following basic aspects to be addressed urgently are [10]:
a) Strengthened multilateral co-operation and robust support, collaboration and consistency of travel regulations at bilateral, regional and international levels; safety and security for travelers and workers facilitating safe cross border travel; building more resilient destinations; reinforcement of global co-operation and aid;
b) Governments must approach tourism recovery in a more integrated manner - involving all levels of government, private sector and civil society in a practical and actionable plan.
c) Tourism needs to be reshaped towards responsibility and inclusion. Engagement in a collective reflection on the future of tourism and on the sensitive links between tourism and the environment, more investment in technology, green infrastructure and value-added jobs will lead to a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector [10].
The crisis has brought challenges for the sector, but also opportunities to encourage innovation, drive new business models, explore new niches/markets, open up new destinations, and move to more sustainable and resilient tourism development models. Potential shifts on tourism policy involve the following [11]:
1. The environmental impact of tourism will lower;
2. Domestic tourism will benefit;
3. Traveler confidence owing to the crisis may result in a decline in demand and tourism consumption;
4. Traveler behavior will be completely changed. Safety and hygiene will become essential factors to select destinations and tourism activities;
5. Skills shortages in the tourism sector may worsen, as many jobs are lost and workers will redeploy to different sectors;
6. Digitalization in tourism services, including a higher use of automation, contact-less payments and services, virtual experiences, real-time information provision will continue to accelerate;
7. Crisis management will be a particular area of focus based on the integrated tourism policy to support recovery.
Conclusion: The tourism sector risks being among one of the last to recover, with the ongoing travel restrictions and the global recession. This has consequences on many other sectors that support, and are supported by tourism. Regardless some resumption, international tourism activity still remains very limited. Recovery will depend on the evolution of the pandemic, availability of a vaccine (or alternative control measures), and the lifting of travel restrictions, as well as the survival and readiness ofbusinesses throughout the tourism ecosystem to meeting demand, impacts on consumer confidence and travel behavior.
References:
1. OECD (2019). "Providing new OECD evidence on tourism trade in value added", OECD Tourism Papers, No. 2019/01, OECD Publishing, - Paris. URL: https://doi.org/10.1787/d6072d28-en
2. UNWTO (2020). World Tourism Barometer, - Vol. 18. - Issue 6. URL: https://doi.org/10.18111/ wtobarometereng. - October 2020.
3. UNCTAD (2020). Covid-19 and Tourism: Assessing the Economic Consequences (UNCTAD/DITC/ INF/2020/3), 2 July, 2020.
4. WTTC Press Release, 174 million Travel and Tourism jobs could be lost due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions, 29 October, 2020.
5. Babii A., Nadeem S. IMF COUNTRY FOCUS. Tourism in a Post-Pandemic World, February 26, 2021.URL: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2021/02/24/na022521-how-to-save-travel-and-tourism-in-a-post-pandemic-world
6. Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore's tourism sector emerges from 2020 with greater resilience and reinvention. February 1, 2021. URL: https://www.stb.gov.sg/content/stb/en/media-centre/media-releases/Singapore-Tourism-Sector-Emerges-From-2020-With-Greater-Resilience-and-Reinvention. html.html
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8. Safe Tourism Go Turkey. COVID-19 tourist protection and support insurance URL: https://safetourismturkiye.com/covid-19-tourist-protectionlessbrgreater-and-support-insurance?fbclid=IwAR2mGw-hl42hQh2s5JuuzGJx3fbR9wmxaa33YSGHVAkis7aMhiV80h39a18
9. Wilks J. Rethinking tourism after COVID-19. The road to recovery and beyond. URL: https://www. euronews.com/2020/09/25/rethinking-tourism-after-covid-19 Updated: 10/02/2021.
10. Pololikashvili P., Gurria A. Stepping up support for a safe and sustainable recovery of tourism. URL: https://www.euronews.com/2020/10/04/stepping-up-support-and-coordination-for-a-safe-and-sustainable-recovery-of-tourism Updated: 05/10/2020.
11. OECD Tourism Papers. Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and supporting recovery URL: https://doi.org/10.1787/47045bae-en/ December 16, 2020.
