COVID-19 and Alternative Tourism

Abstract

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is expected to lose between $900 billion and $1.2 trillion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also estimated that the decrease in the total number of tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic will occur between 58% and 78%. It can be said that competition in the tourism sector will be experienced intensely among countries with alternative tourism diversity when evaluated in terms of outbreaks that may occur in COVID-19 process and after. In this context, it is seen that natural habitats, physical spaces isolated from society, digitalization, and smart tourism applications will gain more importance in terms of tourism activities and will come to the fore in the destination preferences of tourists. Based on this, this chapter aims to examine the subject of COVID-19 and alternative tourism in the context of new destinations and new tourism products.

A Methodological Framework for Developing a Smart-Tourism Destination in the Southeastern Adriatic–Ionian Area

“…Smart tourism is defined as the type of tourism that requires the integration of many factors and components such as physical infrastructure, social connections, state/organization resources, human mind, and environmental awareness [18,19]. For instance, also taking into account the crisis of COVID-19 and the effects of the tourism sector [20] , the study by [21] emphasizes the urgent need for institutions' and governmental bodies' intervention to respond to climate change problems comprising smart strategies, particularly in urban areas with regard to tourism.…”