COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF EU COUNTRIES IN THE CONTEXT OF TOURISM PROMOTION POLICY IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The pandemic has become a major challenge for the economies of all countries. Travel and tourism are one of the areas most affected. Restrictions on travel both within and outside the country have led to a sharp decline in tourist flows. The challenge of maintaining a business has become paramount for businesses in the hospitality industry. At the same time, the goal of reviving the sphere of tourism has become very important for the economic policy of the state both at the regional and national levels. This is due to the fact that the field of travel and tourism has a significant multiplier effect on the development of other sectors of the economy, plays an important role in achieving the goals of sustainable development and promotes interculturalism. One of the tasks of the anti-crisis policy for the tourism sector is to consolidate the efforts of business, the state and society to preserve the existing potential. In the field of international tourism, this task concerns the restoration of tourist flows and the preservation of competitive advantages that were gained before the pandemic. Therefore, quantifying the identified competitive advantages in the long run is relevant. The article provides a comparative analysis of the competitive advantages of the European Union in the export of tourist services to Ukraine. The object of research is the field of outbound organized tourism. The analysis was performed for the period 2006-2019. The theory of competitive advantages in foreign trade is the methodological basis of the study. The index of identified competitive advantages of Hillman's exports is the main tool of the methodology. The division of EU countries into groups was based on the results obtained. Priority areas of the policy of stimulating entrepreneurship in the field of tourism in Ukraine have been identified for each group of EU countries. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of their use in the process of developing anti-crisis programs to overcome the effects of the pandemic in tourism, as well as in the strategic planning of the travel and tourism sector at the level of Ukraine and the country as a whole.