TOURISM TERRITORIAL BRANDING IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (ON THE EXAMPLE OF UKRAINE AND POLAND)

Abstract

In conditions of the deep crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to find effective ways to reboot the tourism industry. Territorial branding as a tourism marketing tool is one of such ways. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to compare the features of tourism branding in Ukraine and Poland, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry and consumer behavior. The study is grounded on the use of general and specific methods based on a systematic approach to the study of tourism branding opportunities in Ukraine and Poland before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis and synthesis – used to compare the competitiveness of tourism, brand, development status and trends in the tourism industry of countries; deduction and induction – used to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism development and outline the problems of competitiveness of countries' tourism; abstraction and generalization – used to provide recommendations on how to improve countries' tourism branding. The article revealed that tourism plays a significant role in the economy of Ukraine and Poland and is closely linked with other industries. A comparison of the weaknesses and strengths of the countries’ tourism competitiveness made it possible to identify basic components that need to be improved. It was found that Ukraine and Poland are in constant search of optimal tourist brands. The authors investigated the specifics and retrospective development of tourist brands by government bodies in both countries. The concept of the latest versions of the tourist brand is to show Ukraine as an open, modern country where all the most interesting things are happening right now (Ukraine NOW), and Poland as a country that can expand the imagination of visitors (Poland. Move your imagination). Based on a comparison of various international rankings levels of tourist brands of these countries, it was found that Poland has a much better performance than Ukraine. In addition, the authors thoroughly investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism development in both countries and changes in tourism consumer behavior. The article offers recommendations for improving the tourism brands of countries, taking into account the new epidemiological conditions.