Meeting public health objectives and supporting the resumption of tourist activity through COVID-19: a triangular perspective

Abstract

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (and previous health crises) have included measures to restrict interaction between people and minimize non-essential mobility. Therefore, tourism travel is one of the main areas affected by the restrictions. Even when the majority of the population is vaccinated, some risk of infection will remain, and governments are obliged to consider NPI measures that balance the health risk of outbreaks against the economic and social benefits of resuming tourist activity. This study analyzes the effect of each of four categories of NPIs (Social Distancing; Public Healthcare-System Improvements; Tourist Controls; and Capacity and Opening-Hours Regulation) on three major objectives (the resumption of tourism activity; tourist travel intention; and the minimization of public health risk), taking a triangular perspective (destination managers, domestic tourists, and public healthcare managers, respectively). While it is difficult to fulfil public healthcare objectives while simultaneously responding to the economic interests of tourism-industry stakeholders, the study finds that, under vaccinated-population conditions, tourist controls (e.g. COVID Certificate) alongside improvements to the public healthcare system (e.g. adequate resourcing and an efficient epidemiological monitoring system) could constitute a viable combination of measures.