Pandemic impacts in Natal, one of the main tourist destinations in Brazil

Abstract

The coronavirus has impacted different sectors of society. The national and regional economy were highly weakened. In the state capital alone, around 300 companies closed in 2020. More than 87% of events in the same year were cancelled. Tourists visiting Natal / RN decreased sharply and this meant that hotels, bars, restaurants, and other activities had to suffer losses that had never occurred. This scientific article was carried out from studies that showed the impacts of the pandemic period on the Natal economy, found in statistical data from research institutes that demonstrated, in numbers, the economic losses of the tourism sector. These data served as the basis for the theoretical foundation of the analysis of several authors on the subject that, in this bibliographical, documentary and quali-quantitative research, showed different results. Among them, the need for solid and robust public policies for the reheating of the sector in 2021, when the prospects are for a decrease in the unemployment rate and an increase in financial assets, both fundamental for Brazil's GDP.