The effects of COVID-19 on the tourism sector in Spain's autonomous communities

Abstract

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 is a health crisis that has had a major impact on the tourism sector worldwide. In mid-March 2020, all tourism activity in Spain was paralysed, restricting the demand for tourism-related goods and services with measures such as border closures, restriction of non-essential mobility and home confinement. This article analyses the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector in each of the Spanish autonomous communities, how this health crisis has affected the reception of travellers and, as a consequence, the number of overnight stays, as well as which types of accommodation (hotel, extra-hotel and rural) have seen the greatest reduction in tourism demand. The results obtained confirm the negative effects that tourism activity has suffered due to the pandemic and its incidence in each autonomous community, which has accentuated the existing imbalances in the tourism sector, causing a turning point before and after the health crisis.