engleski

Impact of COVID-19 on tourism consumers: Are we witnessing transformation of demand patterns?

There is little doubt that tourism as a system has been affected tremendously by the COVID-19 pandemic. International tourist flows have decreased by inconceivable rates. According to the World Tourism Organisation data, there was 22% decrease in international tourist arrivals in Q1 2020. Arrivals in March were cut by 57%, while in April they were down by 97%, which translates into a loss of 180 million international arrivals and about USD 195 billion in receipts. Such decrease caused by external factor was unpredictable and was never before registered. Due to numerous restrictions in the transportation industry, closure of the borders and differentiated business models in majority of tourism business entities caused by epidemiological conditions and required physical distance, tourism will have to adapt to those changes and provide adjusted products and services to its consumers. As a reaction to lockdowns worldwide, the number of tourist arrivals has been cut instantly with the global spread of virus. However, there is a growing concern about the future patterns in tourism demand, especially when talking about international tourism. Therefore, the aim of this research is to determine similarities between the current pandemic and previous global health threats that have influenced tourism flows in order to define potential measure for overcoming the drop in tourist numbers. Additionally, the aim is to conduct primary research among potential tourists so that travel patterns and willingness to travel could be determined. The contribution of this research lies in the fact that tourism is facing significant change and therefore it is crucial to determine what will influence tourists’ decision to travel and how the whole tourism system can be adjusted to the post- COVID state of mind.

tourism demand ; international tourist arrivals ; transforming tourism ; COVID-19

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