Impact of COVID-۱۹ on Tourism Industry and post-COVID-۱۹ recovery strategy: The case of Mediterranean Destination

Tourism plays a critical role in the development and growth of countries, especially developing countries, and can have a positive impact on the economic and social situation of destination countries. The tourism industry is the main source of gross domestic product (GDP) in these countries with foreign earnings. Like any other industry, it is influenced by a variety of variables. Some factors are predictable, while others are not and can unexpectedly change all equations. One of these unexpected factors is diseases, such as COVID-۱۹, with countries that are highly dependent on foreign tourists being particularly hard hit. North Cyprus was one of the countries where COVID-۱۹ had a significant impact on tourism, causing thousands of people in the industry to lose their jobs, and a number of hotels and travel agencies to close. Although the business closures or layoffs of employees can have disastrous consequences for the entire country, this study attempt to understand the impact of the pandemic on tourism in North Cyprus and also provides recommendations for the post-COVID. A qualitative method, based on in-depth interviews with tourism industry professionals was used. Limitations and recommendations for future studies are presented at the end of the study.

کلیدواژه ها:

Tourism ، Covid-۱۹ ، post Covid ، North Cyprus ، challenges ، opportunities