The Impact of COVID-19 on Romanian Tourism. An Explorative Case Study on Prahova County, Romania

Europe stands first in the world ranking of tourist destinations. Tourism is at the heart of a huge business ecosystem that contributes substantially to prosperity and job creation in all Member States of the European Union. The COVID-19 epidemic puts the EU tourism industry under unprecedented pressure. It has led to the suspension of most domestic and international travel, causing a significant reduction in revenue and creating liquidity problems for all tour operators. Both travellers and businesses face uncertain prospects. The goals of this research focused on the main directions: 1) to assess the main concerns for the tourism industry in Romania in the autumn of 2020 and 2) to identify immediate measures to support the Romanian tourism sector. A questionnaire was applied to acquire the viewpoints of the sixteen representatives of eleven prestigious hotels in the mountain region of Valea Prahovei in Romania. The outcomes show their considerations on lifting travel restrictions, restoring traveller confidence and rethinking the Romanian tourism sector for the future.