Enriko Ceko1, Edmira Cakrani2
1Canadian Institute of Technology, Albania
2Canadian Institute of Technology, Albania
*edmira.cakrani@cit.edu.al
ABSTRACT
Our aim in conducting this study was to show the performance of the tourism sector in the Western Balkans during and after the pandemic period, in order to provide some ideas for strengthening this sector as an important part of the economy of each country of the Western Balkans and for the economy of the region as a whole.
The methodology and methods used and followed for the realization of this study was the creation of the idea for the field of study for which the research would be performed, the collection based on the desk research level of data, figures, facts and information as well as the literature that would be used for the realization of the study. The literature, data, figures, facts and information were then read, selected and selected in order to determine the materials to be used in this study. Subsequently, the study methodology has been the processing of data through comparative analysis, to create other reliable data, combining by means of descriptive statistics method data, figures, information from various sources and research previously, and a SWOT analysis was built to identify key tourism development trends in WB6 countries and to support its long-term evolution in relation to the application of the Safe Travel Seal as an important standards’ package for this sector. Further, the first draft of the research was written, which was then reviewed several times until the final version we present in this scientific activity was reached. After writing the final text, we constructed the abstract and the introduction of the paper and then drew the relevant conclusions and recommendations.
The main recommendation is that the countries of the Western Balkans should cooperate together in the development of the hotel and tourism sector to offer joint tourism packages to the international market and to apply as a region the seal of safe travel of the World Tourism Organization, as a package of significant standards for the post-pandemic period Covid – 19.
Keywords: Tourism, hospitality, WB6, safe travel stamp, etc.,
Introduction
As the coronavirus during 2019 – 2022 spread globally, authorities all around the world have acted firmly to limit its spread through social isolation policies, such as shutting educational institutions, limiting work and restricting the mobility of people, causing an immediate and significant impact on local, regional and world economy, tourism sector included.
Only after six – seven months after it’s detection, COVID-19 affected almost all countries of the world, with more than half of the world’s population experiencing lockdown measures. The world economy started to operate in a context of uncertainty, rising challenges on trade-offs on health, economic and social life. The global economic activity felt down as the waves of infections hits population. As of 30th November 2020, more than 170 million jobs and livelihoods in the Travel and Tourism sector have been impacted globally creating the worst economic and social crisis.
Besides prior pandemic crisis, tourism sector growth in the WB6 economies was above the global average, regional economies have been hit hardly, tourism sector included, with around 72 – 74% decrease of international visitors during the first half of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019.
Volume 6.No.2(2022): April – (Social Sciences Session)
ISSN 2661-2666 (Online) International Scientific Journal Monte (ISJM)
ISSN 2661-264X (Print)
DOI : 10.33807/monte.20222543
DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.33807/monte.20222543
Full Text: PDF
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)