RURAL TOURISM – A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR THE
    CONSUMPTION OF TOURISM SERVICES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
                     COVID-19 PANDEMIC


                  Iuliana Petronela GÂRDAN1 ORCID: 0000-0003-2757-1308
                   Claudia Gabriela BAICU 2 ORCID: 0000-0002-1423-6108
                    Daniel Adrian GÂRDAN3 ORCID: 0000-0003-2569-6801
                      Ana-Maria MIHALI4 ORCID: 0000-0001-5664-9843
                       Raluca CREȚOIU5 ORCID: 0000-0002-7159-4614



Abstract: After the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the world economy was affected on different
levels. Many countries have been confronted with an unprecedented situation being forced to close
borders and to apply the state of emergency. Thereby, due to travel restrictions and the specific
characteristics of the sector, travel and tourism were among the most affected industries. The
consequences of the coronavirus pandemic were largely reflected in the losses that the sector
suffered both in terms of value, contribution to global GDP and jobs creation. Following the
dynamic of the crisis, tourism companies try to identify solutions capable to picture a possible
recovery for this industry. Based on these considerations, our study examines if the rural tourism
can be such a solution, also for the Romanian market, measuring the perceptions of a 285
respondents regarding their consumption behavior and decisions during COVID-19 pandemic
concerning such a destination. The study results validate the advanced hypotheses, namely the
degree of anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic positively influences the preference for rural
tourism among respondents. Moreover, as the anxiety about the pandemic manifests itself, the
respondents' preference for rural tourism-specific destinations is becoming even stronger.

Keywords: rural tourism, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in tourists’ behavior, anxiety

JEL code: L83, M30, Z32


1
   Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, 46G Fabricii Street, 060821, Bucharest, Romania,
geangupetronela@yahoo.com
2
  Institute for World Economy, Romanian Academy, 13th September Path, no. 13, 050711, Bucharest, Romania,
baicuclaudia70@yahoo.ro
3
  Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, 46G Fabricii Street, 060821, Bucharest, Romania; "1
Decembrie 1918" University of Alba Iulia, Gabriel Bethlen no 5 street, 510009, Alba Iulia, Romania,
danielgardan@gmail.com
4
   Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, 46G Fabricii Street, 060821, Bucharest, Romania,
anasta84@yahoo.com
5
   Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, 46G Fabricii Street, 060821, Bucharest, Romania,
raluca.cretoiu@yahoo.com
DOI: 10.29302/oeconomica.2021.23.2.4
Pp. 34-44