For the period August/September, the cancellation of tourist arrangements is massive, and there is a drastic decline in the number of tourists expected from abroad. Most tourism and catering companies will need at least six months to a year to recover if the coronavirus epidemic ends by the end of 2020, according to the latest study on the effects of Covid-19, which included the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Information and Communication Technologies – MASIT, the Economic Chamber of Northwest Macedonia, and the Association of Chambers of Commerce of Macedonia.
As it was said at today’s presentation of the study, for the tourism and catering sector, a long and very difficult process follows, and two scenarios are possible. According to the first, if the crisis ends by the end of this year, depending on the effect of the economic measures that will be taken, 2,000 – 12,000 people will be laid off, the decline in tourism inflow will be over $ 200 million or over 50 percent of the planned projections, and the recovery (which means a return to 2019 levels) would be in 2023.
According to the second scenario, if the crisis continues after 2020, 4,000 to 20,000 jobs will be lost, the inflow will be over 80 percent, and recovery can be expected in 2027.
