Análisis de la pandemia de COVID-19 en la rentabilidad y sostenibilidad financiera de las agencias de viajes en la ciudad de Quito, período 2019 al 2022.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated global challenges, such as health emergencies and economic crises, which have caused direct effects on all economic sectors, including tourism and travel, which are the main contributors to the service industry around the world. . This industry experienced the impacts of the pandemic more severely due to the mobility restrictions established by different levels of government, as a contingency measure in the face of growing infections. At the national level, losses in tourism approached USD 1.81 billion, as well as approximately 70,000 full employment positions; In this context, the objective of this study focused on examining the way in which the owners and managers of travel agencies in the city of Quito coped with the pandemic and its effects, using quantitative analysis methods and tools. The information that supports the analysis was obtained by collecting information in the territory using structured questionnaires, which made it possible to collect the perceptions of the main actors related to tourism activity with respect to the variables where the effects of the pandemic are manifested. The main results suggest that there is little presence of public policies aimed at reactivating tourism, so the sustainability of small businesses appears vulnerable. The main conclusion of this research points out the importance of activating tourism, placing it as a primary economic activity for the population under study.