Tourism in the post Covid-19 era: An opportunity for expansion of the tourism season; The case of Crete
Abstract
Tourism worldwide has been affected by Covid-19 and many tourism destinations have been hit hard. The effects of the virus on the tourism sector will be long-lasting and economic losses inevitable. Nonetheless, there is a strong positive correlation between tourism and economic growth. As a result of this, the tourism season expansion can, under specific circumstances, lead to greater economic growth. Global crises can help countries that effectively deal with them, to evolve and effectively expand their seasonality, along with specific measures taken by the local governments to restore tourism and even more to expand it (Beirman, 2003).
For Greece, and Crete in particular, that heavily depends on its tourism sector, the economic losses are expected to be devastating. However, based on the development of Covid-19, so far, Greece is presented with a unique opportunity to improve its comparative position and prolong the duration of its tourism season.
Crete is the ideal holiday destination to take advantage of the current situation, in order to prolong its season. Crete is an island with a very diverse landscape and a mild climate, all year round. The region of Crete, over the course of the past decade, has put significant effort in promoting its own brand and has already succeeded in extending the islands tourism season by at least one more month, with season starting mid-March and ending early November (Enterprise Greece, 2018). Moreover, in low season, there have been attempts by local Tour Operators and there has been a small but steady flow of Tourists, even in the extremely low season, between November and February. Of course, all initiatives taken by the locals, are important but are not sufficient. Coordinated support is needed by the government and the prefecture of Crete to boost the island and create a viable extent tourism season.Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Kyriakakis, A., & Tzirakis, D. (2020). Tourism in the post Covid-19 era: An opportunity for expansion of the tourism season; The case of Crete. HAPSc Policy Briefs Series, 1(1), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.12681/hapscpbs.24970
- Section
- Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Balaguer, J. and Cantavella-Jorda, M. (2002). Tourism as a long-run economic growth factor: the Spanish case. Applied economics, 34(7): 877-884.
Beirman, D. (2003). Restoring tourism destinations in crisis: A strategic marketing approach. CAUTHE 2003: riding the wave of tourism and hospitality research, 1146.
Bellos, I. (2020). Tourism to fetch just 30 pct of 2019 takings. Available at: https://www.ekathimerini.com/251634/article/ekathimerini/business/tourism-to-fetch-just-30-pct-of-2019-takings (Accessed: June13, 2020).
Brondoni, S. M. (2016). Global Tourism Management. Mass, Experience and Sensations Tourism. Symphonya. Emerging Issues in Management, (1): 7-24.
Croes, R. and Vanegas Sr, M. (2008). Cointegration and causality between tourism and poverty reduction. Journal of travel research, 47(1): 94-103.
Dritsakis, N. (2004). Tourism as a long-run economic growth factor: an empirical investigation for Greece using causality analysis. Tourism economics, 10(3): 305-316.
Dwyer, L., and Forsyth, P. (1997). Impacts and benefits of MICE tourism: A framework for analysis. Tourism Economics, 3(1): 21-38.
Enrterprise Greece. (2018). Crete Investment Profile. Retrieved 2020, from https://www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr/images/public/Crete_investment_profile.pdf
Georgantopoulos, A. G. (2013). Tourism expansion and economic development: Var/Vecm analysis and forecasts for the case of India. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 3(4): 464-482.
ICAO – International Civil Aviation Organization. (2020), COVID-19 Airport Status. Available at: https://www.icao.int/safety/Pages/COVID-19-Airport-Status.aspx (Accessed: June 5, 2020).
INSETE (2020a). Key Figures of Greek Tourism. Available at: https://sete.gr/el/stratigiki-gia-ton-tourismo/vasika-megethi-tou-ellinikoy-tourismoy/?year=2019 (Accessed: June 5, 2020).
INSETE (2020b). Η πανδημία του COVID-19 και ο ελληνικός τουρισμός (The Covid-19 pandemic and the Greek tourism) | Ikkos, A. & Rasouli, G. Available at: https://insete.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2004_COVID-19_Greek_Tourism.pdf (Accessed: June 5, 2020).
Kaplan, M. and Çelik, T. (2008). The impact of tourism on economic performance: The case of Turkey. The International Journal of Applied Economics and Finance, 2(1): 13-18.
Kim, H. J. and Chen, M. H. (2006). Tourism expansion and economic development: The case of Taiwan. Tourism management, 27(5): 925-933.
Maniga, P. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism | Policy Center for the New South. Available at: https://www.policycenter.ma/opinion/impact-covid-19-tourism#.Xs1OIWgzZPY (Accessed: June 5, 2020).
Oh, C. O. (2005). The contribution of tourism development to economic growth in the Korean economy. Tourism management, 26(1): 39-44.
Papathanassis, A. (2016). Curing the ‘beach disease’: Corruption and the potential of tourism-led transformation for developing countries and transitional economies. Ovidius University Annals Economic Sciences Series, 16(1): 75-80.
Pololikashvili, Z. in gtp. (2020). International Tourist Arrivals Could Drop 20-30% in 2020 Due to Covid-19. Available at: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/03/30/international-tourist-arrivals-could-drop-20-30-2020-due-covid-19/ (Accessed: June 5, 2020).
Stamboulis, Y., & Skayannis, P. (2003). Innovation strategies and technology for experience-based tourism. Tourism management, 24(1): 35-43.
Tripadvisor. (2020). Best Beaches in Europe. Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cTop-g4 (Accessed: May 27, 2020).
UNWTO (2019). Global & Regional Tourism Performance | UNWTO. Available at: https://www.unwto.org/country-profile-inbound-tourism (Accessed: May 27, 2020).
UNWTO (2020). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer May 2020 - Special focus on the Impact of COVID-19 |UNWTO. Available at: https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2020-05/Barometer_May2020_full.pdf (Accessed: May 27, 2020).
Yap, G. and Saha, S. (2013). Do political instability, terrorism, and corruption have deterring effects on tourism development even in the presence of UNESCO heritage? A cross-country panel estimate. Tourism Analysis, 18(5): 587-599.
