Ecotourism and COVID-19: Impact on the efficiency of the Spanish hospitality industry

Abstract

The health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has incurred devastating effects on the world economy, especially in the tourism sector. This paper analyses, on the one hand, the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the efficiency of the hospitality industry in protected natural areas and, on the other hand, the effect of environmental factors on the performance of the sector. Twenty-seven Spanish protected natural areas are analysed and Data Envelopment Analysis is applied. The analysis determines that despite the strong impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector, there is a significant increase in the efficiency of the hospitality sector in protected natural areas, which provides evidence of the surplus of supply in natural areas before the pandemic. It is also found that both the tourist’s perception of risk in the tourist destination and the territorial boundaries of the natural area play a fundamental role in the fficiency of tourism. Management implications: This study has highlighted some key issues concerning the future tourism management of protected natural areas. These implications can be grounded through three recommendations that can affect both the business sector and the institutions themselves: - In order to avoid inequalities between tourism destinations in terms of tourism efficiency, State policies should be developed aimed at providing territorial support measures that promote investment and incentives for companies to set up in less benefited natural tourism destinations. - Tourism marketing and management policies should be developed to attract tourists and improve the image of tourist destinations, especially those most affected by the pandemic. - In order to consolidate the good results of nature tourism and ensure that ecotourism is consolidated against other forms of tourism, institutions must create campaigns that allow the development and promotion of nature tourism in protected natural areas.