Reactivation of rural tourism post quarantine 2020: ICT and adaptations implemented by entrepreneurs

Abstract

Rural tourism in Argentina adjusted the proposals for the post-COVID19 reopening through its most powerful instruments: the enhancement of heritage, the customized attention, the networking, and the capacity to make possible an extraordinary experience in natural environments. One of the great challenges of the sector was to be known by these “new tourists” who -due to the impossibility of traveling abroad and/or to other provinces- were linked to the proposals for the first time. It can be observed that customized attention was maintained by the entrepreneurial family itself, a distinctive feature of small and medium-scale rural tourism proposals in Argentina. WhatsApp became a daily tool for management and for providing quick answers to queries. The QR codes incorporation facilitates access to information and the dynamics between the parties. Regarding promotion and loyalty strategies, the social networks Instagram and Facebook were the most used.