ROLE OF TOUCHLESS ECONOMY TECHNOLOGIES IN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES IN COVID-19 PERIOD

Abstract

The article examines the features of touchless economy technologies in tourism sphere in European Union countries in conditions of COVID-19 pandemic. The main definitions of the concept of "touchless economy" are considered. It has been found that a touchless economy is an economic activity that remains possible without close physical interaction between people. The current state of the European tourism market is analyzed and the negative consequences of COVID-19 on its development are assessed. The decrease of tourists number in the European Union countries, as well as the contribution of tourism to the GDP of the world leading countries on tourism market have been studied. It was found that the market for short-term accommodation suffered unevenly in Europe: countries such as Spain (-58.1%) and Italy (-60.2%) suffered more than France (-25.0%) or Germany (-20.6%). Research of 10 largest travel and tourism markets showed that Germany dropped one place from third position in the rankings, following a 46.9 % drop in the sector’s contribution towards GDP. Meanwhile, Italy rose one place from sixth to fifth, despite experiencing a 51% fall in GDP contribution. Notably, France, one of the key destinations globally in terms of international visitor arrivals, rose one position from seventh to sixth, despite its contribution to GDP falling by almost half (48.8%). The customer expectations to increase touchless interaction with enterprises in the period of COVID-19 in European countries are considered. It has been found that even after the pandemic, customers in Europe will still use touchless technologies such as face recognition, contactless interfaces, mobile applications and etc. Research of the spread of digital technologies in tourism across Europe has found that countries of Northern Europe have shown a greater spread of digital technologies than the countries of Eastern and Southern Europe. The main technologies of touchless economy in tourism are singled out and analyzed, such as: mobile applications for online check-in at hotels and airports, online delivery and QR-menus in restaurants, artificial intelligence of digital identity management, etc. The advantages of using the touchless economy technologies in the activities of tourism enterprises in the COVID-19 pandemic conditions are substantiated.