Vol. 4, no. 1/2022

The European Year of Youth and Cultural Tourism

By Vlad Diaconescu

Ecotourism, a Resilient Solution in the Context of the COVID19 Pandemic?

By Remus-Ion Hornoiu, Delia Popescu, Ionuț-Andrei Militaru, Silvia-Florina Raducanu

This research examined the intention of Romanian tourists to travel nationwide in natural areas based on an extended TPB (Theory Perceived Behavior) model, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the premise was that people would prefer less risky experiences and would see ecotourism in protected areas as a form of resilient tourism that reduces the threat of infection with the SARS-COV-2 virus or its mutations. This study tested a conceptual model that showed that this intention was influenced by the three variables of the TPB model - attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, complemented by other variables such as the feeling of security offered to tourists by natural areas in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the motivations of tourists that involve ecotourism in nature and cultural activities in Romanian natural areas, personal values in travel in Romanian natural areas, civic attitude to support national tourism. The proposed research model incorporated the construct of the feeling of security offered to tourists by Romanian natural areas as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, as a mediator between the attitude of traveling at national level and the motivations of tourists involved in ecotourism in nature and cultural in the Romanian natural areas. In this context, the proposed model explains a substantial proportion of the total variance of the intent-dependent variable in this study. In the long run, the promotion of ecotourism, as a resilient form of tourism, in a pandemic context, could reduce the risk of spreading the virus and contribute to supporting Romanian Eco destination so that national tourism recovers from the economic crisis caused by the COVID pandemic 19.

Educational Tourism and Local Development

By Marta-Christina Suciu, Marco Savastano, Gheorghe-Alexandru Stativă, Irina Gorelova

Educational tourism is a new branch of tourism, which has experienced a significant increase in recent times, due to the important benefits it brings to the local communities. Universities and other educational specialized institutions may highly contribute, support and encourage local development through educational tourism. Students who benefit from studying abroad can be considered as symbolic educational tourists, and their stay is considered to have a high potential to generate benefits. The host university may facilitate the development of better relationships between tourists and local communities in order to contribute to the development of the local economy in a sustainable and resilient way. Education tourism has to be taken into account by all educational institutions due to the different learning opportunities that might be better exploited. This paper focuses on some indicators considered to be relevant for educational tourism.

Changes in Post-Pandemic Travelling Behaviour. What Are the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students' Travelling Interests?

By Iulia Ruxandra Țicău, Hadad Shahrazad

The novel Coronavirus has led to devastating tragedies, creating a worldwide crisis upon economy and society. Starting from people suffering from illness, deaths, unemployment up until poverty, the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered one of the darkest periods of the world’s history. More broadly, the virus has transformed our everyday lifestyles, inter-human interactions, dynamics of life and last but not least, perceptions upon travelling. The tourism sector has been tremendously affected by the expansion of the virus, with hundreds of countries closing borders, introduction of numerous travel restrictions and suspended flights. Restrictions, regulations and the fear of not getting infected with the new virus have created chaos and considerably changed the way individuals currently perceive travelling. Our study takes a demand-side perspective in order to determine changes in travelling behaviours of individuals, by focusing on students, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study acts as a pilot test and aims at offering guidance for the tourism sector in elaborating and adapting to changing demands on the market. For this purpose, we have collected primary data by distributing a survey among students studying at Universities in Romania. Results have been analysed and compared with relevant literature research. Findings reveal the importance of rate of infection, possible occurring restrictions and costs as being critical when choosing travel destinations during pandemic. Conclusions demonstrate that there is a high need for strong collaboration and cooperation between governments and tourism agencies and businesses. We propose tourism organisations to direct their promotions upon relaxing and safe destinations, at a domestic level in a first phase, followed by international alternatives. We consider that competition can take a backseat during these tough periods and make room for collaborative behaviours and partnerships for the industry to survive.

The Effects of The COVID-19 Pandemic Over the Tourism Sector: A Review

By Cristina Balint, Mihai-Lucian Lazanu

Tourism is considered as one of the most relevant economic sectors at international level due to the multiple roles it holds, namely: economic, social role, cultural, educational and political. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant damage globally and has expanded very quickly across the world by affecting almost all the industries due to the restrictions, lockdowns and quarantines. As a result of the pandemic crisis, the tourism sector was severely affected. Therefore, this paper aim is to reflect the negative and positive effects of the pandemic with SARS-COV-2 virus on tourism, and also to highlight the relevance and sensitivity of this sector during crisis events. The study focuses on the negative effects suffered by this sector during the pandemic, but also represents an effective opportunity to reconsider how that tourism interacts with our societies, thus, certain positive effects and strategies that were identified both on short and long- term, in order to try to minimize the shocks created by the pandemic. The economic crisis caused by the SARS-COV-2 virus has also encouraged inclining tourism towards upskilling, increasing the process of digitization of the ecosystem and protecting the environment.

Statistical Trends of the Tourism Industry in Calarasi County, Romania

By Cosmin Nicolae Mirea

Tourist establishments are indispensable elements of touristic activity, in the sense that the tourism potential of a destination cannot be capitalized without the existence of accommodation, food, transport and leisure establishments, but also of travel agencies. Calarasi County has all the tourism establishments mentioned above, and their dynamics are different, presenting different growth rates. The purpose of this work is to carry out a statistical analysis of the aforementioned tourist establishments in order to find out whether they tend to increase or decrease their number in the future. In the case of Calarasi County, besides the transport establishments, the other tourism establishments analyzed show a tendency to increase from a numerical point of view, a fact demonstrated by the adjustment of the data series. For the processing of the data, average indicators, indicators of the central trend were used, and for the adjustment of the data, the method of the average increase was used.

Space Tourism. A Future Sustainable Business or Not?

By Radu-George Baciu

Space tourism, which has recently come to the attention of society, has sparked controversy over the environmental consequences of recreational space travel, which has become a lucrative business done by and for the super-rich. This scientific paper investigates, through qualitative and quantitative research, the potential for the success and sustainability of this industry. The interviewed tourism and aviation experts believe that space tourism deserves to be developed in order to colonise other planets and make society responsible for the environmental issues, despite the huge costs, which will be reduced, similar to the aviation trend, by technological advances. Also, the results of the survey in which students participated, as future specialists in business and tourism, indicate an increased share of those aware of the effects of carbon pollution and a percentage of over 30% of those who believe in the development of space tourism, supported by economic benefits of offsetting environmental costs. The overall conclusion of the study highlights technological progress as a mobilising factor in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from spacecraft and in achieving the dream of sustainability of space travel, revealing space tourism as a resource that would benefit society as a whole, scientifically and economically.

Behavioural Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Romanian Tourists?

By Anastasia-Cristiana Dumitru

The tourism industry has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, both from a social and from an economic perspective. Despite showing signs of resilience, the negative repercussions on tourism-related activities have been serious, the hospitality industry proving to be the most sensitive in the face of the sanitary and economic crises which started more than a year ago. Even though the full (and cumulative) impact of the events which shaped the current global situation cannot be quantified without a high degree of uncertainty, the negative effects are visible in the economies of many countries, around the world, at microeconomic, macroeconomic and behavioural levels (for businesses and individuals). Usually, such economic, social, sanitary crises or other extreme circumstances (terrorism, natural disasters) trigger a change in the behaviour of tourists, the differences being dependent on region, country, etc. Thus, given the current economic and social context, this paper focuses on the behavioural change of the Romanian tourists. The practical purpose of this research is to show the agents working in the tourism industry on which aspects to focus more and how to diversify their offer based on the change in demand specific to the "new normal". The most recent research conducted by experts has shown that the pandemic has negative effects on travel intention for multiple reasons, among them being the selectivity in choosing the destination based on criteria such as the increased need for hygiene and healthcare conditions, for travel insurance, etc.

The Response of the Romanian Hospitality Industry to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Focus on the Restaurant Industry

By Oana-Diana Crîșmariu, Mihail-Ovidiu Tănase, Iulian Tenie, Awatef Abdallah

The pandemic situation that began in 2019 directly affected all industries. The most affected industries are: airlines, cruises, HORECA, entertainment, etc. The restaurant industry, which is part of the HORECA industry, was severely affected throughout the world. The industry faced many restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Among most common, we can mention: temporary suspension of the activity, limited operating hours and available seats, access restrictions (like EU Green Certificate, for indoor activities), etc. As a response to legal regulations in order to avoid the spread of the virus, but also to prevent a further economic downturn, each industry had to take various measures.This article contains a theoretical overview of the evolution of the restaurant industry during the pandemic, from March 2020 to the present day. An analysis, based on qualitative research, of representative restaurants, in their category, for Romania shows how different actions were taken to adapt to the new normal. Furthermore, the research presents an important view of the future of the industry. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes produced and the adaptability of the restaurant industry to the current and ever-changing situation. The results revealed many interesting measures that similar companies and hope for better times.