Tourism Resilience in the Face of Covid-19: Insights From Accommodation Enterprises in North-Western Romania

Tourism, a sector of the globalised economy particularly susceptible to disruption, was severely affected by the emergence of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The ability of destinations to absorb shocks and recover rapidly, i.e. their resilience, became a key research issue. This paper investigates the tourism sector’s resilience in the historical Partium region of north-western Romania (Arad, Bihor, Maramureș, Satu Mare and Sălaj counties) between 2019 and 2023. The period under investigation encompassed pre-crisis prosperity, two pandemic years and the immediate post-pandemic rebound, further complicated by the war in Ukraine. This study utilised a curated micro-database comprising nearly 1,000 accommodation enterprises (CAEN Rev. 2 codes 5510, 5520, 5530, 5590), complemented by official fiscal returns, to conduct a comprehensive analysis. The analysis encompassed net turnover, employment, and labour productivity alterations, delineating intraregional disparities. Furthermore, identifying factors underpinning disparate recovery trajectories was a pivotal objective. The results demonstrate several key findings: (i) a substantial 34 per cent decline in net turnover and a 9 per cent decrease in employment in 2020; (ii) a swift recovery, with 2023 turnover 50 per cent higher than the 2019 baseline, while employment remained 4 per cent lower; (iii) significant north-south variations, with Maramureș and Satu Mare exhibiting stronger growth in both firm numbers and turnover; (iv) the pivotal role of thermal resorts and mountain destinations in driving recovery; and (v) indications of a structural reallocation of labour towards the Bihor metropolitan zone. The argument is that local natural assets, pre-existing tourism specialisation, and frontier position shape resilience outcomes. At the same time, the war-induced uncertainty mainly dampened growth in the immediate border zone. The policy implications of these findings underscore the necessity for targeted support to be provided to peripheral communities, diversified product development, and cross-border collaboration in the Schengen era