REGIONAL TOURISM RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY IN TIMES OF CRISES

Abstract

Regional resilience is typically described as the ability of a region to withstand shocks and recuperate from various crises. This paper examines the quantitative aspect of tourism resilience and focuses on tourism employment. The aim is to highlight the distinct potential of each Greek region to recover from the ongoing pandemic, based on its calculated tourism resilience. This empirical research uses secondary data and calculated indices developed for evaluating regional resilience. Statistical data from official sources provides information regarding regional employment with focus on tourism. Preliminary findings show that important differences are evident between regions regarding their resilience and their subsequent ability to recover from ongoing crises. Estimated resiliency is not always accompanied by a corresponding recovery, especially on the tourism sector. Regions with a strong tourism industry seem to have a stronger resilience than regions that base their development on other industries and this is an indication but at the same time shows the potential of tourism for the development of a region.