Introduction
The 2020 decade began with the unfortunate occurrence of a severe disease related to infections that the world has ever faced in around 30 years. The outbreak of COVID-19 started in China and later spread to many nations within a short time. Examples of countries that experienced initial effects from the pandemic include Italy, the United States of America, South Korea, Japan, and Spain (El-Gohary, 2020). The spread of the disease led to increased loss of lives and increased concerns regarding the future of the small businesses in the tourism sector. Several containment measures were put in place in an attempt to curb the rising spread of the disease. For instance, travel restrictions and lockdowns were imposed, revealing the vulnerability of Tourism and Hospitability among small businesses (Kaushal & Srivastava, 2021). Halal tourism in Japan is an excellent example of how small tourism sector businesses were affected by the pandemic.
Objectives
Main objectives
The study will seek to assess how COVID-19 has affected small businesses in the tourism industry. The focus of the research will be on the challenges of the Halal tourism market in Japan.
Specific Objectives:
- To understand the position of small-scale businesses in the tourism sector on the market economy.
- To determine the long-term effects of COVID-19 on businesses
- To understand measures that can be taken to survive the pandemic
- To examine whether COVID-19 is the end of Halal Tourism
Statement of the Problem
Previous studies on the tourism industry have determined the contribution of the tourism sector towards the growth of the market economy. The focus is on how large and established businesses are affected by COVID-19. Therefore, a gap exists in the challenges that small businesses within the industry face. The research will, therefore, seek to offer an in-depth theoretical examination of the problem under study.
Literature Review
According to the Muslim rules and regulations, the word Halal originates from the Arabic language to mean acceptable or permissible. Therefore, Halal generalizes the Muslim aspects such as drinks, clothes, marketing, pharmaceutical, and finance, tourism, and industry (El-Gohary, 2020). The halal industry is comprised of Halal hospitality that is defined as the hotel that provides its services following the principles of Islamic Shariah. However, it is not limited to serving Halal food and drinks. It also ensures that the entire operations of the hotel system observe the Shariah principles. Some of the challenges faced by Halal tourism include the ceasing of Halal Tourism and the ceasing of Hajj and Umrah, leading to losses (Sigala, 2020). Despite the Islam culture that encourages travel worldwide, the pandemic forced them to avoid traveling to ensure that they stay safe. The consequential effect was increased losses.
Type of research
The research will be descriptive involving surveys that are considered conclusive. It will be planned and structured in its design to ensure that the information collected is statistically inferred.
Data Collection
The study will employ the use and primary and secondary data sources. Interviewing method will be most appropriate in gathering opinions about the research topic. The questionnaire method will also be effective to collect insights from a wide range of study respondents (Snyder, 2019). It will also form a basis for comparison of interview method opinions and those collected from questionnaires. The use of articles from previous studies will also be widely utilized in the collection of information.
Data analysis
The research will use a content analysis technique to analyze the collected data from the interviewing method (Snyder, 2019). It will reduce and simplify the data to allow for quantitative techniques.
References
El-Gohary, H. (2020). Coronavirus and Halal tourism and hospitality industry: Is it a journey to the unknown? Sustainability, 12(21), 9260. Web.
Kaushal, V., & Srivastava, S. (2021). Hospitality and tourism industry amid COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives on challenges and learnings from India. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102707. Web.
Sigala, M. (2020). Tourism and COVID-19: Impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research. Journal of business research, 117, 312-321. Web.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333-339. Web.