АНАЛІЗ ДИНАМІКИ ВІДВІДУВАЧІВ МАЛИХ ТА СЕРЕДНІХ ГОТЕЛЬНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ ЗАКАРПАТСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ В КРИЗОВИХ УМОВАХ

Abstract

The article analyzes the dynamics of visitors to small and medium-sized hotel enterprises of the Transcarpathian region in the context of the crisis caused by the spread of the infectious disease COVID-19. The study is based on a sample of questionnaire-interviews provided by 30 enterprises. A literary review of the scientific works of domestic and foreign authors, who work in the direct or related subject of research, their works relate to such aspects as the impact of the pandemic on the functioning of the labor market of Ukraine; changes due to the pandemic in the solvency of the population of Ukraine; the problems of the hotel industry that arose during the spread of the global pandemic, as well as the reaction and adaptation of the education systems of various countries to the consequences of the lockdown and, even, the national security of Ukraine through the prism of new conditions caused by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Much of the research concerns the state and current functioning of the tourism or hospitality industry during the pandemic and the business innovations they employ during the crisis. The dynamics of tourist flows sent to Transcarpathian region during 2000-2020 (in the pre-coronavirus and pandemic periods) are described. The analysis of tourist flows in the Transcarpathian region allows us to conclude that their dynamics are unstable, there are clearly pronounced peaks (2000, 2003, 2008) and declines (2001, 2004, 2011), as well as periods of prolonged low activity (2014–2017). The trends in the number of visitors and the occupancy of hotel establishments in the period 2018–2020 are visualized, which clearly demonstrate the consequences of the crisis phenomena that manifested themselves in the economy at the end of the above-mentioned period of time, and as a result, the most significant number of visitors was observed in 2018, when the relative stabilization of the economic and political situation took place and the intensity of the flow of domestic tourists to the region began to increase. Aspects of the biggest business complications of hotel activity were highlighted, which turned out to be: closure of borders, cancellation of transport connections and, as a result, a significant reduction in the number of tourists/visitors/clients.