The impact of COVID-19 on sport tourism in Istria

Pandemija koronavirus je virusna bolest koja se prvi put pojavljuje krajem 2019. godine u Kineskom gradu Wuhanu te ostavlja traga na sve grane svjetskog gospodarstva. To je bolest za koju se ni dan danas točno ne zna kako se prenosi, ali pretpostavka je da se širi u zatvorenim prostorima preko kašlja i sline. Vrlo je važno održavati higijenu, redovito dezinficirati ruke i ono što se dotakne te izbjegavati masovna druženja i okupljanja. Turizam Istre je najvažniji gospodarski sektor koji ima udio više od 20% u BDP – u Hrvatske te je kao takav snažna odrednica gospodarskog razvoja Istarske županije. U Istri je sportski turizam dobio na velikoj važnosti kao inovativni selektivni oblik i jedan je od važnijih specifičnih oblika turizma putem kojega je Istra izgradila i imidž sportske destinacije zbog atraktivnosti sportskih sadržaja, infrastrukture i sportske ponude koja se koristi u turističke svrhe. Pojava pandemije koronavirusom utjecala je negativno na ukupnu turističku djelatnost u zemlji, pa je tako dovela i sportski turizam Istre u fazu stagnacije i padajućeg trenda razvoja. Zbog ukupnog pada prihoda od turizma za 30% u Hrvatskoj zbog utjecaja pandemije sportski turizam Istre također je podnio kompleksne gubitke. Aktualnost sportskog turizma ogleda se u oporavku od posljedica pandemije koronavirusom, gdje će biti potrebno određeno razdoblje da sportski turizam Istre zaživi i dosegne razinu razvoja prije nastupa pandemije.The coronavirus pandemic is a viral disease that first appears in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan and leaves its mark on all branches of the world economy. It is a disease that is still not known exactly how it is transmitted, but it is assumed that it spreads indoors through coughing and saliva. It is very important to maintain hygiene, regularly disinfect your hands and what you touch, and avoid mass gatherings and gatherings. Tourism in Istria is the most important economic sector with a share of more than 20% in the GDP of Croatia and as such is a strong determinant of the economic development of the County of Istria. In Istria, sports tourism has gained great importance as an innovative selective form and is one of the most important specific forms of tourism through which Istria has built the image of a sports destination due to the attractiveness of sports facilities, infrastructure and sports offers used for tourism purposes. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on the overall tourism activity in the country, thus bringing Istria's sports tourism to a phase of stagnation and a declining development trend. Due to the overall decline in tourism revenues by 30% in Croatia due to the impact of the pandemic, Istrian sports tourism has also suffered complex losses. The topicality of sports tourism is reflected in the recovery from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, where it will take a certain period for Istria's sports tourism to come to life and reach the level of development before the onset of the pandemic