The Challenges of the Covid-19 Pandemic To the Tourism Industry

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to identify the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on the tourism industry sector and to address the key challenges.

The economic shock caused by the coronavirus to the tourism sector is discussed. The tourism sector turned out to be in complete collapse, the tourism industry sector (accommodation, food, transport, etc.) stopped almost 100%.

The paper notes that once the pandemic is over, the world will no longer be the same as it used to be, tourists will start traveling to places where safety measures will be maximized, preferring to visit and relax in places with more open spaces and increased social distance instead of crowded places. In the first stage, the Georgian tourism sector plans to launch domestic tourism and create safe tourist zones, and here it is necessary to more actively promote eco, agro, mountain, adventure, recreational and rural tourism development, which means synergy of agriculture and tourism and protection of rural resources. Development can have many positive effects for the countryside, as well as for the region and ultimately the country.