Introduction
The global pandemic caused significant economic, social, and even political consequences worldwide. Restrictions influenced almost every aspect of everyday life. Some industries suffered devastating blows, whereas others managed to benefit from the new economic paradigm. In many cases, the well-being of businesses depended on their ability to adapt to changing conditions and introduce digital methods. However, the travel industry was not able to develop any effective techniques to overcome the pandemics as most restrictions prohibit traveling itself. The sector had undergone a dramatic change during the pandemic, and only the fittest and economically stable organizations managed to survive. There is a wide variety of problems which occurred. Both social and political changes considerably influence the travel industry. In many cases, borders are still closed, and people are frequently afraid of traveling. Even though the sector received governmental support on diverse levels, it may be necessary to develop a proper approach to help the industry recover as soon as possible.
During the previous year, numerous studies have shown a dramatic decrease in international and domestic traveling. According to some sources, international traveling and tourism have decreased by more than 70% leading to catastrophic financial losses in the industry (Behsudi, 2020). Nevertheless, pandemic restrictions may get less and less strict due to the introduction of vaccines, whereas demand for traveling services may slowly but surely increase. The political climate also improves, making international traveling accessible and attractive. Despite the fact that the general environment tends to improve, there are still significant pitfalls, which may prevent the quick recovery of the travel industry. First, it may be necessary to acknowledge and implement the emerging paradigm of the digital economy. Second, even though the industry may record increasing demand and opportunities, it may also become considerably more competitive. Moreover, new criteria should be established to evaluate and develop competitive advantages as new aspects such as health safety become essential for consumers.
The primary aim of that study is to develop a list of concrete methods and approaches, which may be implemented both by the industry in general and by independent businesses in order to accelerate the process of recovery. Therefore, the study is focused on the development of two significant factors to enhance the recovery of the travel industry in general and two essentials factors, which may allow a concrete business to stay competitive. The research may be limited by a lack of relevant data regarding the issue. In order to develop appropriate recovery methods and introduce relevant factors, the newest information should be used as the political and economic environments are changing rapidly.
Research Problem
The current pandemic has provided numerous opportunities to study the industry’s resilience to an aggressive external environment. The tourism industry worldwide and in Singapore particularly has collected valuable knowledge and experience during the pandemic. Nevertheless, using complicated circumstances as learning opportunities may not be enough to overcome the harm inflicted. One of the most significant problems related to COVID-19 restrictions is consumer fear. In some cases, the customers are afraid of possible health issues and difficulties. In others, a wide variety of restrictions and regulations prevents people from traveling. Tourists do not want to conduct time-consuming actions in order to receive all the needed permissions. This paper aims to develop concrete techniques, which may be implemented on both governmental and local levels in order to overcome customer fear.
Research Objectives
This research aims to investigate diverse difficulties and issues that prevent people from traveling. The focus is directed not only on concrete measures that require permissions or quarantine during traveling but also on internal factors that currently make tourism unattractive. Identifying these factors is necessary to develop a comprehensive approach to reduce their impact on the industry. These factors may include consumer’s attitudes, legal frameworks, insufficient transportation services, or inadequate prices. By analyzing these factors, concrete solutions should be established. Solution frameworks may consist of improved legislation, new marketing techniques, and changing pricing policies. It may also be necessary to evaluate relevant competitive criteria that may allow a separate entity to recover from the pandemic.
Literature Review
As already mentioned, tourism is exposed to a relatively large number of external factors, including natural disasters, terrorism, and pandemic. It may be necessary to develop recovery strategies not only to overcome the current pandemic but to be able to effectively face such problems in the future. According to some sources, these strategies are called tourism crisis and disaster management (Jiang et al., 2017). Even though the issue is highly important and corresponds with the emerging global circumstances, it is not sufficiently studied. The tourism industry is relatively new as it rapidly developed and expanded during the recent globalization. Therefore, there are few publications related to tourism and even fewer on the topic of crisis and disaster management. Nevertheless, existing research may contain valuable information, which might contribute to the salvation of the problem.
There are several studies that examine not only disaster and crisis management but also possible recovery strategies. It is also vital to analyze the influence of the crisis on the industry to develop proper recovery methods. It may be crucial to acknowledge that the travel industry is represented by a wide variety of businesses and organizations with distinct features and diverse problems related to the pandemic. Even though there are some general similarities, an individual approach should be established to maintain the recovery of a concrete organization. This paper focuses on studying common frameworks, which may be utilized in order to increase recovery rates of the industry in general. Crisis management in tourism received broader attention during the past years, yet health issues were not always the primary topic of these publications. The emerging pandemic is closely linked to health problems and health safety. Hence, related issues should be researched in order to provide more comprehensive knowledge regarding the tourism crisis and disaster management.
Most studies in the research area tend to divide tourism-related problems into categories to systemize the existing knowledge and utilize its efficiently. The tourism industry may be influenced by the pandemic now and by some other significant worldwide events in the future. These events may be unique and require new studies, yet in most cases, history repeats itself. Therefore, it may be needed to accumulate data regarding tourism crisis and disaster management in the past and record as much information as possible in the present to comprehensively analyze possible pitfalls and develop recovery strategies. There are some valuable studies focused on the efficiency of existing management and recovery methods (Jiang & Ritchie, 2017). Other researches focus on case studies as there is a large number of crisis cases (Gurtner, 2016). Some research is even devoted to preventive measures developed to increase the resilience of the travel industry to crises and disasters. There is a broad set of different aspects and factors that impact the industry, and there is a wide variety of studies that cover distinct areas of these issues from diverse perspectives. In that regard, it may be crucial to study the current pandemic not only to help the industry recover but to develop methods in case of similar events in the future.
Coronavirus pandemic may represent an unprecedented case in tourism disaster management. A pandemic of such scale is unusual for the modern globalized world. Therefore it may be critical to utilize the most recent and relevant sources during research. In many areas, tourism plays a significant economic role as it provides revenue, employment, and other benefits. The sector holds leading positions in terms of providing job which require both highly-qualified specialists and ordinary labor. The destructive impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry leads to not only considerable damage to the sector itself but also to related areas (Jiang & Ritchie, 2017). Economies, which targeted tourism as a primary source of revenue suffered dramatically. Hence, recovering the industry from the pandemic may be beneficial for a broad audience.
The effects of pandemic-related restrictions on the travel industry tend to differ depending on the location of the sector and on the relevant legislation. Some destinations may appear to be considerably more vulnerable to changes in the environment and particularly vulnerable to such global crises. The situation may become exponentially worse if such a correlation happens in economies that rely on tourism (Edison & Kartika, 2021). Furthermore, previous experiences show that domestic economies are not able to recover from such bows quickly. These aspects may make the development of recovery strategies especially vital.
There are several factors that should be taken into consideration to introduce a comprehensive analysis of the external environment and establish an effective recovery framework. In this particular case, most of these factors are closely linked with consumer’s general perception of traveling during the pandemic, attractiveness rates, and safety issues. Therefore, the first factor that may significantly contribute to strategy development is safety. Even though borders are reopened, restrictions are mitigated, and vaccines are introduced, people are still fearful and not willing to put their lives at possible risk. The second aspect is providing services and assistance in terms of bureaucratic and formal aspects of modern traveling. Tourism may require various permissions and health certificates, which may be complicated to obtain. Both the businesses and the governments should provide assistance in these areas to accelerate the travel industry recovery rates.
The third essential aspect is reasonable pricing and accessibility. In many cases, prices are raised in order to compensate for a vast decrease in demand and consequently a decrease in revenue. Nevertheless, the income of an average person may also reach lower levels than before. It may be critical to carefully reevaluate pricing policies in order to ensure that they meet the optimal range. In addition, accessibility is closely linked with legislation and governmental regulations (Edison & Kartika, 2021). The last factor is closely linked with the rapid digitalization of the global economy. Even though the travel industry mostly provides material goods and services, it may be necessary to digitalize accompanying infrastructure to follow the emerging trend and increase the accessibility of services.
As already mentioned, a vast decrease in demand may be directly related to growing concerns of primary consumers regarding health issues. In order to overcome widespread fear, businesses should provide a wide variety of approved methods to ensure health safety. Implementing these techniques may be unnecessary by the law yet represent a considerable competitive advantage, given the circumstances. In addition, health-related should be taken on the governmental level too. As mentioned before, some countries considerably rely on tourism. Therefore, by funding health safety frameworks, it may be possible to improve the region’s attractiveness, increase demand and provide revenue growth. Such projects may guarantee high rates of return in tourism-dependant economies.
Emerging regulations and legislations related to traveling are strict. Even though these regulations increase the attractiveness of the sector in terms of the first factor, they may also provide difficulties and even ruin customer experience. Some of these norms, including mandatory quarantine measures, may result in frustrating experiences during the trip. Most of these problems may be avoided by providing the customers with sufficient information regarding necessary documents and tests. However, it may be difficult to obtain such information due to language barriers or legislation differences. It may be beneficial for businesses to provide services in order to guide and support their customers to obtain needed documents properly. Various national tourism strategies should be implemented on the governmental level to recover both domestic and international tourism (Collins-Kreiner & Ram, 2020).
Decreasing demand and changing circumstances may indicate a significant transformation of the market. New competitive criteria become relevant, and new strategies should be established. In many cases, pricing policies should be overviewed to attract more customers. Comprehensive market research should be conducted in order to identify possible competitive advantages and relevant supply and demand rates. Moreover, digital instruments should be implemented on various levels to improve customer experience in such aspects as finding places, booking, and travel planning.
Research Methodology
The recent COVID-19 pandemic is still in the process, and it may continue for a long time. However, the travel industry starts to slowly recover as borders are opened, and people are less scared to travel. Therefore, it is especially essential to use the most relevant data that is available. Diverse databases offer information recorded in the last year, it may be utilized in order to study the issue, yet other methods of data gathering should be implemented. The scope of that research is relatively limited as it is closely linked with the current pandemic, which is unique, but it still may provide valuable knowledge for future studies. As already mentioned, in order to develop recovery strategies, it is necessary to accumulate data related to the harm dealt with by the industry. Such data may be accessed through various databases and annual reports. Moreover, some recent studies provide sufficient quantitative data related to the issue. Such data is normally available to the public and is provided by organizations. It includes financial reporting and statistical studies. Therefore there may be no permissions required from organizations to conduct research. It may also be necessary to obtain more detailed information regarding the pandemic impact on concrete organizations, and consent may be required in terms of data security. Such data may be utilized to conduct a comprehensive analysis according to the proposed four-factor model.
Another method is conducting interviews in order to accumulate the opinion of experts in the travel industry, business owners, and upper management. It may be necessary to receive consent from respondents in order to accumulate data. Preliminary research may be conducted in order to determine the impact of the pandemic on a particular business owner or a manager. Respondents should be sampled randomly to decrease the probability of bias. The interviewers were asked a set of questions to collect their opinions related to the interaction between the travel industry and the pandemic according to a specific framework. The interviews primarily focused on such aspects as the current situation in the travel industry, major factors that influence the industry during the pandemic, and possible strategies and approaches, which may be implemented to increase recovery rates. Collected data is qualitative and is analyzed thoroughly to highlight the essential aspects. Quantitative data collected from databases and annual reports were analyzed using digital instruments and approaches.
Reference List
Behsudi, A., 2020. Impact of the Pandemic on Tourism – IMF F&D.
Collins-Kreiner, N., & Ram, Y. (2020). National tourism strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Annals of Tourism Research, 103076.
Gurtner, Y., 2016. Returning to paradise: Investigating issues of tourism crisis and disaster recovery on the island of Bali. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 28, pp.11–19.
Edison, E., & Kartika, T. (2021). Tourism and tourism crisis management in the COVID-19 pandemic time. Promoting Creative Tourism: Current Issues in Tourism Research, 641–644.
Jiang, Y. & Ritchie, B.W., 2017. Disaster collaboration in tourism: Motives, impediments and success factors. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 31, pp.70–82.
Jiang, Y., Ritchie, B.W. & Benckendorff, P., 2017. Bibliometric visualisation: an application in tourism crisis and disaster management research. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(16), pp.1925–1957.