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

Abstract

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.