Pandemic, tourism, and research

Resumen

The pandemic derived from COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the tourism and gastronomic sector globally. The foregoing has resulted in less economic activity not only in said sector, but also in related sectors, and in the global economy. Some studies show international tourism, and related sectors, suffered an estimated loss of $2.4 trillion only in 2020, and just due to international tourist arrivals. 

Additionally, the level of unemployment has never been seen so high before in the tourism sector, in addition to the bankruptcy of several businesses, especially small and medium-sized companies, which have not been able to withstand quarantines, mobility restrictions, and forced closure regulations.

In some countries, the efforts of governments to support those most affected business and people by the pandemic have been important, including subsidies for employment hiring or maintenance, provision of minimum income, among other benefits.

In some countries people have the possibility of partially withdrawing their pension or retirement funds. The mentioned withdrawals solved a specific problem of money need in the short term; however, it will bring a significant problem in the future. The biggest problem has been in those countries with scarce financial and health resources to support their population, generating high rate of death and suffering among their citizens.

Undoubtedly, many small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, must continue making efforts to maintain their operations, but given the different waves of the pandemic, it is likely that the opening that has been seen in the last weeks globally will not last long, which will again lead to a closure of the tourism sector and related industries in different parts of the world, until herd immunity is achieved.

The pandemic is here to stay, and the tourist sector and related industries will need to adapt because probably others, equal or more complicated pandemics, will affect humanity in the future. Therefore, research about the impacts and how adapt to the pandemic are relevant from the public policy perspective.