Ensuring the safety of tourists in the context of a pandemic using the example of China and Turkey
Currently, tourism plays an important role in the development of the international economy. The global decline in the number of tourists due to COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the tourism industry. In this regard, it seems necessary to ensure the safety of tourists in the context of the coronavirus pandemic in order to restore the influx of tourists in the post-crisis period.
The purpose of this article is to develop recommendations for ensuring the safety of tourists in the context of the coronavirus pandemic based on an analysis of measures to ensure the safety of tourists using the example of countries such as Turkey and China.
According to the study, the consequences of the pandemic have changed many aspects of human social life, the business sphere, and especially affected tourism, since almost half of the world's population was forced to abandon travel due to restrictions on movement. The authors concluded that the impact of the new COVID-19 pandemic is already having serious consequences for the tourism sector and the economy worldwide. At the height of the outbreak of the pandemic, forecasts by Russian and foreign economists predicted a decline in the financial development of the countries most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: tourism, pandemic, COVID-19, security, Turkey, China.
Over the past 2 years, the global tourism industry has faced the consequences of COVID-19. The risks associated with travel are a crucial factor in a tourist's decision to travel during the ongoing uncertainty associated with the pandemic. The perception of tourist risks and the formation of ideas about possible dangers in travel can affect the psychological behavior of tourists during a trip abroad <1>. To contain the pandemic, the heads and governments of all countries imposed the largest various restrictions in the history of mankind: closing borders, stopping air and sea passenger traffic, introducing total lockdowns, closing bars, restaurants, shops, museums, leisure facilities, stopping transport, transferring employees to remote work and seriously restricting movement between settlements. For example, security measures such as isolation could help control the spread of infections <2>, but excessively strict measures had a negative impact on the development of the tourism industry, slowed down economic development, which increased the unemployment rate.
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<1> Elizabeth A. Perceived impacts of COVID-19 on risk perceptions, emotions, and travel intentions: evidence from Macau higher educational institutions / A. Elizabeth, I. Adam, F. Dayour, F. Badu Baiden. Macau: Tourism Recreation Research, 2021.
<2> Mertens G. Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020 / G. Mertens, L. Gerritsen, S. Duijndam, E. Salemink, I.M. Engelhard. The Netherlands: Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2020.
Scientists expressed concern about the negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on human health and behavior <3>. Some researchers <4> have focused on studying the travel and tourism crisis, while others <5> have proposed necessary procedures that prevent potential security threats due to pandemic outbreaks around the world. Several countries have made clear progress in suspending visa issuance on arrival and imposing strict travel bans to control the spread of the pandemic. Most states have decided to close their borders and suspend their airline services due to the COVID pandemic-19.
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<3> Ornell F. "Pandemic fear" and COVID-19: mental health burden and strategies / F. Ornell, J.B. Schuch, A.O. Sordi, F.H. Kessler. Palestina: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 2020.
<4> Novelli M. 'No Ebola... still doomed' - The Ebola-induced tourism crisis / M. Novelli, L.G. Burgess, A. Jones, B.W. Ritchie. Brighton: Annals of Tourism Research, 2018.
<5> Hanrahan J.D. Biosecurity risk and tourist communication in Ireland / J.D. Hanrahan, D. Melly. Ireland: European Journal of Tourism Research. 2021. P. 45 - 61.
While the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow worldwide, many countries have opened their borders to travelers. A number of countries require confirmation of a negative COVID-19 test result before leaving their country or upon arrival. Those who test positive on arrival are required to undergo quarantine (and some countries require all travelers to undergo a quarantine period, regardless of whether they provided a negative test result or not).
Despite these precautions, COVID-19 has not gone away - it remains a serious threat worldwide. In the last months of 2021 and early 2022, new outbreaks and new variants of the virus forced some countries to tighten entry requirements. Other countries and regions, thinking that the worst had passed, lowered restrictions only to see the number of cases increase again. But the desire to travel has not disappeared. COVID-19 vaccines are being introduced in the United States and other countries, causing a surge in travel bookings. In some countries, confirmation of vaccination is allowed for entry, rather than a negative test for COVID-19.
Our research related to the impact of coronavirus on the tourist environment allows us to believe that countries that are actively improving infrastructure for health tourism will receive a special impetus for development in any post-crisis period.
Ways to ensure the safety of tourists in the context of the pandemic in China
In the era of mass tourism, the frequency of travel and the number of tourists are increasing, using the example of 2019, it can be seen that the number of tourists traveling within their country (China) has reached 6.01 billion people. During the Chinese New Year celebrations in 2019, China's tourism revenues reached 513.9 billion yuan <6>. As China's leading service industry, the cultural tourism industry plays a key role in the country's economic development. However, after the celebration of the New Year in 2020 An epidemiological wave has passed through China, which caused a sharp decline in income in the tourism business over the same period. Nevertheless, after the end of the pandemic, the public safety authorities in the tourism sector in China will be able to identify shortcomings in ensuring the safety of tourists at the time of such epidemic situations. Our study examines and evaluates the key roles of community participation in social governance during the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as predicts new requirements for public safety of tourism.
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<6> Wen J. COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens' lifestyle and travel / J. Wen, M. Kozak, S. Yang, F. Liu // Tourism Review. Vol. 76. Iss. 1. P. 74 - 87.
Public safety refers to a stable external environment and order, which are necessary for society in work and life. Public safety in tourism is a combination of the concepts of tourism and public safety, i.e. an external order that permeates all aspects of tourism activities, including the safety of public information, public health, the safety of tourist behavior and the tourist crisis. Public safety management in the tourism sector refers to the process of leadership, the development of a strategic plan, the prevention and resolution of problems, etc., undertaken in response to incidents in the field of tourist public safety. The management of public safety in the field of tourism is the main guarantee for tourists. If you do not pay due attention to forecasts of possible emergencies and the fight against them in case of their occurrence, potential tourists will be able to lose some confidence in the tourism industry.
A community is an interdependent group of people consisting of a group of people with a common social consciousness and interests living within the same geographical area. People in the same community often have close social contacts, and it is through this close connection that community care plays an important role in building a stable social psychology.
Communities are taking the lead in organizing the response in order to provide tourists with a safe tourist environment. The reactions of large and small communities to major events such as tourism and public safety are interrelated. Communities often try to prevent and control major social events by involving as many people as possible. The Chinese usually send notifications through WeChat application groups, various websites, bulletin boards, etc. If there is a new outbreak of coronary pneumonia, communities across the country will take immediate action. First of all, they will advertise protective measures such as frequent hand washing, reducing exposure to the street and wearing masks when leaving the house. The community is the main space for social life and learning. The mere existence of a public organization can create a good favorable tourist environment so that tourists can enjoy an orderly and safe journey wherever they go.
The roles played by government organizations, non-governmental organizations and grassroots mass autonomous organizations differ and complement each other. Differentiation is reflected in the macro-control over crisis management by government organizations and micro-phase work on crisis management by mass autonomous organizations such as communities; complementarity means that the community, as the most basic organization of the energy system, plays a major role in ensuring the stability and security of tourism in the community and effectively complements the work of the government. The mobility of tourists is extremely high, and community members play a key role in gathering information in emergency situations.
Problems existing in the management of public safety of tourism in China
The current public safety management system in the tourism sector mainly has the following three disadvantages related to public health safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
1. Communities and other mass autonomous organizations have not clearly identified their important role in managing public safety of tourism in emergency situations. Therefore, when a major public safety incident occurs, the relevant departments of the tourism industry, including tourism enterprises, are relatively slow to respond to emergencies and are unable to provide timely and necessary assistance. This manifests itself: in the absence of emergency training for grassroots self-governing organizations, it is necessary to improve the core competence of grassroots management personnel, and it is also necessary to strengthen the ability to cope with sudden incidents of public safety in the field of tourism within the jurisdiction.
2. In the context of a public safety crisis in the tourism sector, there are many departments, industry associations and other organizations that take measures to combat the crisis, such as the government, tourism management departments, travel agencies, travel industry associations, public safety departments, etc. However, organizations often operate independently, and therefore it is very difficult to coordinate and coordinate joint work. Only on the basis of the full implementation of the function of public control and investigation, combined with the unified leadership of government departments and the importance of the role of travel agency organizers in fulfilling the leadership role of the public security department, all subjects will be able to follow a specific contingency plan.
3. Information is not published in a timely manner, and the public cannot know it.
Countermeasures to strengthen public safety management in the tourism sector
The coronavirus pandemic is a sudden event related to public health safety in the tourism industry. Domestic and foreign participants in the tourism industry should not only jointly address this problem, but also improve their emergency response capabilities when major public health events occur, and accumulate strength to face future challenges and difficulties at an increasing stage.
1. Empower communities of tourist destinations and improve their ability to participate in governance.
The role of the community in social governance is constantly changing over the course of the epidemic. The community is better acquainted with the transport routes, medical facilities and cultural environment, including language, local customs, etc. in the territory under its jurisdiction, and can make full use of treatment resources and carry out emergency response operations as soon as possible.
2. Strengthening coordination and communication between the community of tourist destinations and several departments to overcome the consequences of the crisis of public safety in the field of tourism. The impact of COVID-19 made it possible to identify problems of emergency management in the field of public safety of tourism. Emergency management in tourist destinations is still a weak link in the management of public safety of tourism, and it is extremely important to improve the mechanism for early warning of public safety emergencies.
First, to fully implement the regulatory and supportive role of the community and, if necessary, provide psychological counseling, rehabilitation and intervention for residents and tourists. On this basis, government agencies will direct and implement macro-monitoring and planning of crisis events; assess and analyze the impact of public health events in accordance with local conditions, fully improve early warning and emergency management capabilities in the field of public safety.; accessibility and quality of public safety services for tourism during recreational activities.
Secondly, public health emergencies have posed big problems for the travel agency itself, so when there is a crisis of public safety in the field of tourism, the travel agency must fully assume the role of organizer. The first is to ensure the safety of tourists already on tour, the second is to reasonably reimburse the collected fare for tourists who have not dropped out of the group, the third is to use online training to accumulate staff strength, stabilize the workforce, and take measures and tasks to resume work at any time. In addition, travel companies should create an in-depth insurance system based on the current insurance contract and provide tourists with the most thoughtful guarantee in conditions of limited resources, strengthening the psychological structure of tourists, realizing the transfer of tourism safety risks.
3. Building on the new media operating platform, early warning capabilities of tourist destination communities should be strengthened.
It is worth noting that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the public has relied on the information platform to make real-time inquiries about the regional distribution and the number of people affected by the epidemic, and can also request traffic information such as trains and planes along the same route. It can be seen that the artificial intelligence of big data is of great importance for the public to receive the necessary information in real time. The guarantee of public safety of tourism is inseparable from the publication of real-time online information data, which not only transmits information about mass events, but also increases the trust of tourists in tourism management departments such as the government and tourism enterprises. Thus, the informatization and intelligent technology of tourist destination communities should be improved, the importance of public safety of tourism should be put in a prominent place, and online records should be placed in the main module under the user search function to provide tourists with a high-quality online service, while at the same time creating a good corporate image.
Ways to ensure the safety of tourists in the context of the pandemic in Turkey
COVID-19 arrived in Turkey late, but soon spread throughout the country. Within one month, all provinces were affected (and there are 81 of them in the country). It is believed that this was one of the fastest growing outbreaks in the world (stronger than in China or Britain). There were fears that the death toll would rise dramatically, turning Turkey into another Italy, which was the most affected country at the time.
Despite this, Turkey remains one of the most popular destinations for tourism. Maintaining a safe environment for foreign tourists is a top priority for Turkey and the majority of its population, as tourism is an important part of the country's economy.
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<7> The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Turkish government has taken special precautions to protect the health and well-being of tourists traveling to Turkey:
1. Negative 72-hour PCR test.
2. Negative 48-hour antigen test.
3. A certificate of vaccination, 14 days have passed since the last vaccination.
4. A certificate of a previous illness, which includes a positive test from 28 to 180 days ago, as well as a certificate of recovery.
5. In addition, passengers and other persons arriving at airports will be served in accordance with the rules and instructions established to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19.
6. At airports, before passport control, each arriving passenger will undergo thermal imaging screening to check the temperature.
7. In case of suspicion of COVID-19, the passenger is quarantined in an isolated area inside the airport for testing.
8. In the absence of symptoms of COVID-19, the passenger leaves the airport according to the established rules.
9. If a passenger from whom a PCR test sample is taken shows serious symptoms, he/she will be placed in isolation for 2 hours to wait for the results of the PCR test. If the result is positive, the passenger will be sent to the hospital for treatment.
10. After the tourist is taken to the hospital, the medical institution decides whether the person will be treated in a hospital or in a hotel.
11. If a passenger does not wish to spend a period of isolation in Turkey and wishes to return to his country, the airline may allow him to board <8>.
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<8> Turkey: COVID-19 entry requirements for international travelers.
12. Tourists can purchase health insurance packages before arriving in Turkey online.
13. If the traveler develops symptoms after arriving at the hotel, a PCR test will be taken at the medical institution with which the contract is concluded.
14. If the passenger taken to the hospital has a positive result, the same procedures as at the airport will be applied.
15. Quarantine facilities that meet all international standards and fully equipped vehicles for shipment to the nearest medical facility have also been established.
16. From July 1, 2020, a mandatory health insurance package covering the consequences of COVID-19 was introduced <9>.
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<9> The fight against Covid-19 in Turkey.
17. In addition, additional procedures have been introduced to protect the health of residents and tourists arriving in Turkey. To obtain permission to enter the country, visitors from abroad must comply with the following special rules regarding coronavirus:
- all arriving passengers over the age of 6 must fill out the online "Traveler's Entry Form" at least four days before arrival in Turkey <10>;
- previously, passengers without a valid vaccination certificate or a recovery document had to undergo PCR or an antigen test a few days before departure. However, this rule was abolished on June 1, 2022.
In 2020, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism initiated a safe tourism program to revive tourism, which is extremely important for the country's economy and employment opportunities. This program was further expanded, launched and successfully implemented in 2021.
A number of sanitary and hygienic measures have been taken in all areas, including at airports and restaurants, as well as measures for accommodation and internal transport. Appropriate certification processes have also been initiated. Among the institutions issuing certificates are German companies and Royal Cert, the British company Lloyd's Register, the French company Bureau Veritas and the Turkish Standards Institute. The healthcare infrastructure is also ready to ensure the well-being and safety of guests.
The Safe Tourism Certification Program, led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was developed with the participation of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in cooperation with all stakeholders in the industry <11>.
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<10> We are filling out a questionnaire for Turkey 2021.
<11> Travel to Turkey during COVID-19: what you need to know before traveling.
Restaurants, hotels, tourist shops, beaches and other organizations related to the hospitality industry are in the area of close attention. The staff of such institutions must undergo regular medical examinations and undergo tests for coronavirus.
Strict hygiene rules have also been developed, which must be strictly observed when preparing food for guests and sterilizing the guest fund of hotels. Turkish citizens working in the tourism sector are required to always wear protective equipment and maintain a social distance with customers.
Thus, Turkey has sought to rebuild its tourism economy with some of the most lenient entry requirements due to COVID-19 in the world. Despite the fact that small businesses and suppliers in Turkey have suffered greatly, the country's tourism industry is doing better. The higher rate of vaccine deployment in European countries is an encouraging sign for the tourism industry. Tourists from these countries may be more inclined to travel, which is very important because the tourism industry relies on foreign transportation. In addition, institutions in Turkey comply with safety standards through the Safe Tourism Certification program. This encourages more visitors to return to the country and see its famous cultural heritage. Thanks to the wider introduction of vaccines and the preservation of safety protocols, Turkey has been able to once again become one of the most popular destinations in the world.
Based on the above, we offer tourists some recommendations that make it possible to more productively ensure the safety of tourists in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. So, to ensure security, it is necessary:
1. Before traveling, make sure that you know the range of symptoms of COVID-19.
2. Study in advance the epidemic situation in the country intended for travel, familiarize yourself with the rules of entry and exit from countries, and also pay attention to the list of documents required for travel.
3. For your safety, refuse to personally visit a travel agency in favor of booking a tour online.
4. Before traveling, take care of vaccination in order to protect yourself and your family.
5. Arrange travel insurance in a timely manner.
6. Avoid crowded places (shopping malls, museums, restaurants, etc.) with poor ventilation, in favor of beach and outdoor activities.
7. Use personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, antiseptics, etc.). When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a napkin. After that, immediately throw away the napkin and wash your hands. Use a mask, make sure that it covers your mouth and nose. When wearing a mask, try not to touch it. Discard the disposable mask immediately after use and wash your hands.
8. Keep a social distance (1.5 m).
9. Keep up-to-date information from a trusted source such as WHO or local or central public health authorities.
10. Abandon public transport in favor of walking, renting a car, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.
11. During the trip, at the first symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of sense of smell, etc.), seek medical help as soon as possible. When seeking medical help, tell your doctor if you have made any trips before.
12. Consider the possibility of eco-tourism, which involves tourists visiting relatively untouched territories by anthropogenic impact, it is aimed at improving the ecological culture of tourists and creating conditions for obtaining benefits from environmental protection by the local community.
13. Always carry a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test in English.
14. Do not eat unwashed vegetables or fruits from local farmers' markets.
15. Choose a hotel that meets the standards of safe tourism during the pandemic.
These recommendations will allow tourists to rationally plan their holidays and protect themselves and their family during the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious concerns among the global tourism industry and niche market and has affected various aspects of the social life of tourists: travel organization; provision of services; operation of public transport; information technology; public places and social distance; health and hygiene. Tourists believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has created unsafe travel conditions and reduced the number of their trips abroad. The spread of the COVID-19 epidemic will have more serious psychological, social and financial consequences if it is not quickly eliminated worldwide.
Currently, ensuring the safety of tourists in the context of the coronavirus pandemic is very important, this is due to the fact that accidents that happen to people during their travels in various regions of their own or a foreign country somehow occur through their own fault or circumstances that they cannot control or predict even if they really want to. Anyway, in addition to the fact that tourists themselves must be adequately aware of the degree of danger of their actions and deeds and, in accordance with this understanding, take all possible actions to neutralize the harmful consequences, there is a large list of rules and guidelines that are advisory or mandatory. Such rules are aimed at helping tourists not to cross the danger line.
Therefore, taking into account all of the above, it can be concluded that today there is a large system of various stages of formation and implementation of tourist safety, which is being improved and supplemented every year of its existence.