Modern Challenges for and Megatrends in the Development of the Tourism and Recreation Sphere
Tourism, megatrend, tourism and recreation sphere
Global trends in and challenges for the socio-economic development, globalization, integration and service processes are characterized by high dynamism of their effect on all spheres of economic activity. Therefore, without a preventive response to external influences, effective development of the economic system of countries will be hindered. This is especially true for the tourism and recreation sector, which is international in nature and interconnected with global megatrends and economic development cycles of society. The aim of the study is to identify contemporary challenges for and megatrends in the development of the tourism and recreation sphere as determinants of the formation and use of the tourism potential of Ukraine. It is established that the need to focus on the main global trends in and challenges for the development of the tourism and recreation sector is especially important today to justify a balanced policy and mechanisms for surmounting the crisis in the domestic tourism sector as well as to identify additional opportunities and prerequisites for building the potential of the tourism and recreation sector in territorial communities and national socio-economic space as a whole. The study reveals the effect of urbanization, as a megatrend in socio-economic development, on the tourist and recreation sphere, namely, that it leads to excessive tourism, i.e., an increase in tourist flows. It is proved that today new information technologies are widely used in international tourism, which is an example for applying such technologies in domestic practice. The effect of virtual networks as modern global trends in the international tourism services market is characterized. The influence of COVID-19 processes on the tourism industry is investigated, and the main problems that the tourism industry is facing today are identified. The ways for overcoming the current crisis are proposed. It is found that the coronavirus pandemic has an impact not only on the tourism and recreation sector but also on the global economy as a whole.