Trends in tourism development in the world and EU countries

The paper is devoted to the analysis of world trends in tourism development in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change, declining drinking water levels, and high concentrations of greenhouse gases are forcing people and businesses to think about using new methods to reduce their impact on the environment. The circular economy must become a lifeline and change the behavior of the world's population. The COVID-19 pandemic has almost completely stopped all life on earth. At one point, air traffic stopped, sea and river cruises, entire cities and countries were closed for quarantine. The pandemic made all residents think and rethink everyday life, attitude to travel and nature. Tourism even now remains one of the sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the outlook remains rather uncertain. Life will not be the same as it used to be. The pandemic has significantly affected every sector of the tourism industry: airlines, transport, cruise lines, hotels, restaurants, attractions (such as national parks, protected areas and cultural heritage sites), travel agencies, tour operators. Small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up a large informal tourism sector, make up about 80 per cent of the tourism sector, and many of them may not survive the crisis without significant support. In the future, not only the format of travel will change, but also our attitude to them: vacation planning will have to be approached more consciously and take into account many factors. Tourism was one of the first sectors to be deeply impacted by the pandemic, as measures introduced to contain the virus led to a near-complete cessation of tourism activities around the world. The sector also risks being among one of the last to recover, with the ongoing travel restrictions and the global recession. This has consequences beyond the tourism economy, with the many other sectors that support, and are supported by, tourism also significantly impacted. Therefore, the paper considers the trends of tourism development in the world, as well as the application of the principles of the circular economy in this area. various macro-environmental factors force the tourism industry and tourists to change their preferences and tastes. Global and European trends include safety and hygiene when traveling, the growth of contactless payments, the spread of local tourism, healthy and organic food, the use of virtual reality, robots, chatbots and process automation. In addition, ecological, rural and transformational tourism is gaining popularity among tourist destinations.