The Dissonance Tourist Demand Prices. The Evolution of Romanian Tourist Packages to Turkey and Egypt Destination, During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The travel industry and tourism can rightly be considered the most affected branches of the global economy in the COVID-19 era, the tourism market registering the sharpest post-war decline with significant disruptions to the supply-demand ratio. An analysis of the tourist offers promoted by two of the most prolific tour operators in Romania states a strategic endurance approach based on psychological prices easily predictable, but focused on regaining a large segment of Romanian tourists who before 2020 practiced outgoing tourism . Turkey and Egypt are considered the destinations of the pandemic moment, the most appreciated in a state of continuous uncertainty, insecurity and reluctance to travel. During the years 2019-2020, the price offers of the Romanian tour operators did not register major changes, even if the outgoing tourist packages experienced, in full pandemic, conjunctural oscillations with reasonable decreases of prices followed, in some places, by price increases meant to suggest an intensification of tourist consumption with the lifting of the lockdown in various countries and the announcement of the first measures of social relaxation. The measures regarding the vaccination and the immunization of the population determined the Romanian tourists to react positively to the inner, urgent desire to travel regardless of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary restrictions determined by it.

Exploring the influence of training and development on employee’s performance: Empirical evidence from the Indian tourism industry

The aim of this paper is to explore the influence of training and development on employee’s performance through different dimensions. Moreover, this study proposes a model in the area of human resource development to be used for testing and improving the performance of employees in the Indian travel and tourism sector. An integrated model was developed highlighting the relationship between the training and development and employee performance. Using the sample of 146 employees, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to validate the hypothesized relationship by evaluating the responses of employees working in the Indian travel agencies. The findings of this study demonstrate a strong relationship between training and development and employee performance in the travel industry and also can be used by managers and HR professionals for organizing exclusive training programs for improving employee's performance based on the dimensions used in this paper. The present study provides an empirical and theoretical explanation of different dimensions associated with training and development and employee performance, especially in the Indian tourism industry.

A Historical Review of Illegal Tour Guiding in Turkey

The tour guiding profession was much abused in the past while illegal guiding took place, and remains much the same nowadays. With the use of official documents, this paper outlines issues concerning illegal tour guiding from the past to the present. Document analysis as a qualitative research method was applied in this study. Archival research was carried out, and unpublished documents were analysed to contribute to the literature and shed light on the roots of illegal tour guiding. Archival data was combined with travel guidebooks, official reports, and court files. Despite regulations, problems concerning tour guiding continue to exist to the present day. More than ever before, illegal tour guides employed by travel agencies have become a threat to the employment of licenced guides. The number of illegal tour guides proves that current measures remain incapable of prohibiting illegal guiding activities. Touting seems to be the longstanding main motivation for illegal guides. Unethical guiding practices affect the established image of the destination country. From a historical perspective and underlining issues such as touting through unpublished archived documents and official reports, this paper contributes a detailed understanding of the defective points concerning the travel industry.

Key Factors Driving the Demand for Cruising and Challenges Facing the Cruise Industry in the Future

Cruises were the fastest growing sector in the travel industry. The rapid growth in demand was created originally by demand from North America, more recently Europe, and finally the rest of the world, China and Australia in particular. One of the main reasons for the rapid development and growth in popularity of cruises is that the cruise lines were successfully adapting to new travel trends delivering cruise ships with facilities and experiences tailored to the needs of travellers from all market segments. The corona crisis hit the cruise industry heavily and disrupted all plans, schedules and forecasts. This paper aims to analyze which factors were driving the demand for cruising on the world's leading source markets and the challenges facing the industry in a post-pandemic world. The findings show that the rapid growth in demand of cruise tourism was due to several factors, including the long-term growth in consumers’ disposable income, the adaptation of products to the requirements of new source markets and different market segments, more cruise capacity in new regions, and the development of national cruise brands.

Restoring Tourism Industry in India after Covid-19: A Case Study

Purpose: This research paper assesses the effect of Corona Virus or COVID-19 on Indian tourism industry and also focuses on restoring Indian tourism by suggesting/recommending tourism industries to change their approach towards tourists which brings back the departed glory. According to WTCC, the Covid-19 epidemic is depended upon to cost the movement business basically USD 22 billion achieving a lack of 50 million situations all throughout the world. India is no special case; the travel industry has seen a critical decay during 2020.In such a circumstance India is no exemption; the travel industry has seen a huge decrease during 2020. GOI has an urgent job to carry out in recovery and development of the travel industry. To avoid the spread of the covid-19 government of India imposed lockdown in all the states including union territories, travel restrictions, national international flight restrictions which made worst effect on Indian tourism by causing huge damage towards country’s GDP and also many peoples lost their employments. Objectives: we aim to present the restoration of Indian tourism industry which got worst affected by COVID-19 pandemic by providing recommendations to restore the same. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data are collected from various scholarly articles, web articles, and this paper presents Strength, weakness, Opportunities, and Threat (SWOT analysis) as a way promoting approach for the Travel sector within the aspect of the Covid-19 Epidemic. Findings/Result: Based on the SWOC analysis of the tourism industry, restoring the tourism industry in India have got many challenges, threats and opportunities are discussed. Originality/Value: Built on secondary data available, this paper analyses the impact/Consequence of Corona Virus or Covid-19 on travel/tourism industry in India. paper Type: Case Study Analysis.

TRANSFORMATION OF MARKETING IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY OF RUSSIA BASED ON ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER DEMAND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The tourist sphere of activity in Russia was among the areas of the economy that were quite severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many major chain tour operators and hotels have closed for the first time in decades. Revenues from the sale of tours and hotel rooms fell sharply. Travel industry companies have embarked on the difficult task of figuring out how to deal with the new reality created by the pandemic. Therefore, this study is devoted to identifying changes in consumer attitudes towards tourism products in the Russian Federation. The article assesses the opinions of Russian consumers of tourist services. The result of the study is the proposed recommendations for conducting marketing strategies in the tourism industry. The most numerous segment is family beach vacations, so the main marketing investments should be directed specifically to this group of consumers. Advertising campaigns should focus on the comfort of hotels and infrastructure for families with children. Social networks and the Internet in general should become the main advertising channels. This strategy will attract both young people, using advertising on social networks, attracting bloggers and famous personalities. To increase loyalty to Russian tourism, youth tours should be developed, which will help to attract people to domestic travel. These actions will have a long-term impact on the tourism industry in Russia, as they can attract people to domestic tourism in the future.

The Entangled Infrastructures of International Student Migration: Lessons from Covid-19

The impact of Covid-19 on international student mobility has been noted by policy makers and the media ever since the global lockdowns started in early 2020. However, most of the concerns focus on what the drop in student mobility means for the finances of the countries and educational institutions to which students would have moved; there has been little exploration of the students’ own experiences of Covid-19. This chapter explores the entangled education, migration, and finance infrastructures that shape international student migration and how they failed the students during the pandemic. It draws on questionnaires and interviews conducted with international student migrants from a range of countries and who are registered to study in the UK to point to how migration policies, consular services, educational institutions, and travel industry all affected students. It points to how these components are entangled, and that their failure during the pandemic led to particular forms of immobility and mobility, leaving many students stuck in uncertain and precarious situations. The chapter ends by suggesting that reading the pandemic as an acute unprecedented event is important but inadequate. It is also a window into the everyday failures that the entangled infrastructures of international student mobility posed before Covid-19, how these came to be and who benefited from these infrastructures.