TITLE:
Tourism Planning and Management during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Lesson from Girona
AUTHORS:
Joaquim Majó Fernandez, Daissy Moya Sanchez, Lina Enderica Izquierdo
KEYWORDS:
Urban Tourism, Community Participation, Over-Tourism, Tourism Management, Destination Management, Girona
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.6,
June
28,
2022
ABSTRACT: Purpose: This paper aims to establish the
significance of including the host community in the tourism planning
and management processes in Girona-Spain. Additionally, it illustrates
tourism data that correspond to periods before, during, and after the COVID-19
outbreak in the city. It explores the contribution of academia and stakeholders
in the planning and management of the
tourism system during the pandemic. Design/Methodology/Approach: The literature review references the residents, planning, management, and
strategies for the contribution of local actors in the development of tourism
models to be applied in the case study of Girona. It involves a qualitative
methodology, using semi-structured interviews, and the Delphi method on the
software Atlas Ti 8 regarding the residents’ perceptions and the strategies of
local public and private actors to establish sustainable models in tourist
cities. Findings: The
study reveals the effect and perceptions of residents regarding tourist activity in a historic center of a
medium-sized city before the COVID-19 pandemic and five strategies proposed by both
public and private organizations and
residents, presenting unprecedented challenges. Research Limitations/Implications: The
study does not include the perspective of tourists who have already seen
Girona. Practical Implications: The strategies presented can be applied
at the policy level in urban cities. Understanding resident-tourist interaction and effects will help prepare a better sustainable
tourism development plan. Originality/Value: This paper is the first to
present a tourism planning proposal for a city carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic with the participation of residents,
public and private stakeholders, and academia.