www.business-review.eu Business Review | June 2020
28 TOURISM
Tourism goes into “remote island” mode in pandemic times Many of us have dreamed of spending our summer holidays on a remote island with no internet and phone connections – and with no other tourists than those we’d like to have with us. In most cases, it was just daydreaming – a way of disconnecting from the stressful reality. But this year, this innocent dream could become reality for many due to a one-off event: a virus that seems to have originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China, which has spread across the globe at tremendous speed. By Sorin Melenciuc
T
his virus, technically called SARSCoV-2, causes the COVID-19 disease, which had killed more than 375,000
people all over the world by June 1. The virus has already infected millions of people and continues to spread. Even though many had hoped that the summer months would limit the spread of the virus, the latest developments leave little room for optimism.
SENSE OF INSECURITY Even if the pandemic seems to be losing momentum in Europe and North America, it’s spreading quickly in many counties with warm climates – from Bangladesh to Brazil and from Indonesia to Peru. This evolution, seen at the beginning of the summer holiday season in the Western World, suggests that the tourism sector will be forced to change in order to cope with tourists’ increasing sense
A major challenge is that the summer season will begin later than usual this year
of biological insecurity. Another major challenge is that the international summer season will begin later than
– the number of foreign tourists visiting the
fell by 79.8 percent year-on-year to 34,200, as
usual this year – in July, in most cases, after
country is much lower than the number of
the coronavirus resulted in cancelled flights
reopening measures are fully implemented.
locals visiting other countries and spending
and travel plans all over the world, according
But the domestic tourism season has already
money there. In fact, Romania has become
to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
begun in many countries, at the beginning
less interesting as a destination for tourists
The number of foreign tourists from Europe
of June or even in late May, as many govern-
from all continents since the summer of 2018,
declined by 79.1 percent compared to March
ments – especially those of countries with a
as their number has dropped constantly
2019, to 26,200, while the number of Asian
negative tourism balance - tend to support
during the last couple of years. This situation
tourists decreased by 83.2 percent, to 3,700.
domestic tourism and delay resuming exter-
exposes the weaknesses of the local tourism
The contraction is expected to be even
nal travel.
industry and the lack of well-managed tourist
larger in April and May, when lockdown mea-
attractions in the country.
sures in Romania and most European coun-
The drop became dramatic this year, as
tries closed hotels and restaurants and halted
This is the case for Romania, which has had
exacerbated by the pandemic. In March 2020,
flights and travel. The Romanian government
a negative tourism balance for many years
the number of foreign tourists in Romania
reopened much of the local tourism activ-
ROMANIA’S CASE
