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What Hospitality And Tourism Higher Educators Learned From Covid-19: A Case Of Turkiye, Ayse Collins, Ayse S. Dulger, Muharrem Tuna, Muzaffer Uysal

Journal of Global Education and Research

Among all the sectors, the hospitality and tourism sector has been detrimentally affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to determine how changes have been experienced specifically in the Turkish tourism higher education and tourism sector. Twenty-seven academics from the hospitality and tourism education departments were interviewed. Most agreed that restrictions have limited student access to hands-on practical courses and internships, which are crucial to developing necessary competencies. Moreover, the results showed the curriculum does not always meet the needs of the hospitality industry for a trained and skilled workforce. The challenge is to decide what …

Finding Data Pathways Through The ‘Pandemic Pilgrimage Boom’: Embedded-Like Research, Covid-19, And The British Pilgrimage Trust, Eleanor O’Keeffe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This article reviews claims that the United Kingdom experienced a ‘pandemic pilgrimage boom’. It contributes findings from an ‘embedded-like’ research project, which drew on data created by the British Pilgrimage Trust (BPT) – a heritage and wellbeing charity that hosts a website hub to support pilgrimage action in the UK – to debate about the impact of COVID-19 on pilgrimage practice. These findings show how a set of uses and meanings about pilgrimage, particularly its affordances for mental health and emotional wellbeing, have resonated during the pandemic, especially at moments of heightened social stress. This has generated greater social traction …

Covid-19 And The “Most Magical Place On Earth”: Applying The Idea Model To Theme Park Crisis Messaging, Lakelyn E. Taylor, Gaurav Panse, Carissa Baker, Deanna Sellnow, Timothy Sellnow, Michael Strawser

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The global tourism reaches of Orlando, Florida, and the world’s most visited theme park complex, Walt Disney World, provide a unique context for studying global communication in a tourism setting through the crisis messaging efforts. This study explores the reopening of Walt Disney World and subsequent messaging, specifically from a risk and crisis perspective, using the IDEA model to categorize Disney COVID-19 messages. Using a qualitative, etic approach via a codebook based on the IDEA model, the study results determined whether pandemic messages and mentions (the study’s unit of analysis) addressed internalization, explanation, or action.

Restrictions Are Lifted: The Effect Of Risk Perception Of Covid-19 On Future Travel Intentions Of Dutch Travellers, Rami K. Isaac

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

This study aims to understand better the psychological impact of COVID-19, the risk perception, travel and destination risks of Dutch travellers and their intention to travel when travel restrictions due to COVID-19 are lifted. This study takes a step toward closing the gap in the literature as it provides new insights into the risk perceptions regarding COVID-19 and the travel intentions of Dutch travellers now that travel restrictions are lifted. This study employed a quantitative approach to market research. Questionnaire research was applied. The questionnaire is created with the web-based survey tool Qualtrics. 343 respondents filled in the questionnaire. The …

Evaluation Of Covid-19 Crisis Management Practices In The Context Of City Hotels: The Case Of Aksaray, Mehmet Umur, Busra Sener

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study examines the extent to which city hotels operating in Aksaray are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, what strategy the managers follow in the face of this situation, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of operating as a city hotel and being located in Aksaray. Since no similar study was found in the region as a result of the literature review, it is thought that the study will contribute to the literature. The research data were obtained by semi-structured interview technique from 14 managers who worked as general manager, department manager and department chief in city hotels operating …

Sustainable And Inclusive Spiritual Tourism Development In Bali As A Long-Term Post-Pandemic Strategy, Jaeyeon Choe, Luh Putu Mahyuni

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic caused devastating socio-economic impacts in tourism destinations around the world. Many governments and tourism authorities could use the pandemic to seek more sustainable tourism development futures; for example, pre-pandemic Bali’s ‘tourism boom’ barely benefited local people and local businesses because of economic leakage and ‘tourist bubbles’. With an increasing demand on spiritual travel in the post pandemic period, Bali is seeking new opportunities as a spiritual tourism destination. This opportunity is based on their rich cultural and natural resources, and living heritage that can be related to spiritual tourism activities. This spiritual tourism development can contribute to …

Communication During Covid-19 Crisis: A Case Of Hotels In Turkey, Ayse Selin Dulger, Ayse Bas Collins, Aysegul Gunduz Songur, Cihan Cobanoglu

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which has spread all over the world, the importance of communication in terms of knowledge sharing has increased even more in the tourism sector, as in all sectors. Each hotel business has benefited from various communication tools in the pandemic crisis. The aim of this study is to provide an understanding of the crisis communication strategy tackled by the hotels in Turkey during this unprecedented period, via both conventional and internet based public relations and communication platforms within the framework of crisis communication management. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 hotel managers in …

Pilgrim Experience And Revisit Intention Post Covid-19: An Exploratory Study Of Amarnath Holy Shrine In Jammu And Kashmir, India, Ramjit Singh, Adil Nazki, Mudasir Mir

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The present preliminary study seeks to explore the pilgrim tourist experience and their revisit intentions post-COVID pandemic. Data were collected at the Amarnath Holy Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, India, using a combination of primary and secondary sources, including seven in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with pilgrims using the snowball sampling technique. Five main themes were found regarding revisiting intentions, including ease of registration, safety and security, health facilities, accommodation facilities, food and beverage services, and connectivity of the destinations. The study highlights that despite COVID-19, most respondents agree to return to visit the holy Amarnath Cave as they felt that …

Acceptance Of New Travel Norms Among Potential Umrah And Hajj Pilgrims: An Empirical Investigation, Siti Sara Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Muhammad Azlan Shah Badar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates how Umrah and Hajj travellers’ needs and wants are influenced by their acceptance (behaviour) of new norms practices (social distancing, hygiene standards, wearing face masks) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional survey utilises the purposive sampling method with 216 respondents. Partial-least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to confirm the study model and test the hypotheses. Additionally, this study validates the role of age in influencing the new norms of travel behaviour through the PLS-SEM multi-group analysis (MGA). Path Analysis results revealed that psychological needs, safety needs and selfactualisation influence the new norms of …

Covid-19 And The Holy Land Of Lalibela World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, Dagnachew Nega, Balew Baye, Amare Kindu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Ethiopia is the home of many tourist sites. Among these is Lalibela, one of the most famous and most visited World Heritage Sites. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was severely affected. Thus, the main objective of the study is to investigate the impacts and solutions for the prevalence of COVID-19 at the holy land of Lalibela, the World Heritage Site. The study followed descriptive research design. The target population of the study were the local communities, religious fathers, local tourist guides, culture and tourism experts and hotel workers. The research was conducted through non-probability sampling techniques. …

Tourism And Crisis: Comparing The Impacts Of Covid-19 And Natural Disasters On The Hajj And Umrah Industry, Udin Supriadi Dr, Mohammad Rindu Fajar Islamy Mr, Ahmad Fuadin Mr, Muhammad A. Rahkman Mr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to compare the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Natural Disasters on the Hajj and Umrah industries. This pilgrimage substantially contributes to foreign exchange earnings; therefore, the negative potential caused by disasters must be a significant concern for policymakers in this sector. In recent years, religious-based tourism, especially the hajj and umrah (the out-of-season pilgrimage to Mecca), has experienced significant rise of demand worldwide. To explore the impact of various disasters on this industry, using the purposive sampling method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with travel agents in Bandung over the course of two months. The findings from …

The Effect Of Covid- 19 Pandemic Process On Social Psychology And Nature-Based Therapeutic Activities, Aysun Yalvac, Esmahan Yalcin, Murad A. Kasalak

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Today, many scientists have stated that the use of nature-based products and activities at certain rates together with the healing effect of modern medical techniques during the epidemic that affects the whole world has health-supporting benefits. Based on these views, people's consumption of products obtained from natural resources has increased and the interest in outdoor activities in nature has increased. Due to the positive effects of these activities on mental health, socialization and rehabilitation processes, over time, it became necessary to consider these activities within the scope of therapeutic recreation applied to groups with health restrictions such as the disabled, …

Examining Social Media Views On Post-Pandemic Tourism Rebuilding: The Case Of Twitter, Muharrem Tuna, Nilgun Demirel Ili, Onur Celen

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The world is trying to keep up with the COVID-19 pandemic's new normal conditions. The ongoing pandemic has adversely affected global tourism sectors and their activities like all sectors. Institutions and organizations in various countries, especially UNWTO, are taking initiatives to ensure the recovery of the tourism sector, which has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the case study design, one of the qualitative analysis methods, was used to examine the views on social media activity (motivation) that occurred for the resumption of tourism. In the study, the effects of the pandemic on tourism were determined and a …

Positive Influences Of Covid-19 On Local Touristic Sites: The Role Of Country Image In Stimulating Tourism In Jordan And India, Nadine Khair, Vimal C. Verma, Sara El-Deeb

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Tourism took one of the hardest hits during COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Jordan and India, as they are tourism-dependent countries. Despite the restrictions that followed the pandemic, this study identifies the positive influence that this may have caused in enhancing local tourism. The study employed qualitative research methodology in which a sample of 30 interviews were conducted using convenience sampling technique in India and Jordan. Data was analysed using the thematic analysis. Results suggest that countries that have positive country image during the pandemic, may motivate civilians participate in domestic tourism resulting in improving local economy. The issue addressed is …

Rethinking Tourism And Public Health Policies In International Travel Megahubs For The Post-Covid-19 Era, Jeconiah Louis Dreisbach, Sharon Mendoza-Dreisbach

Journal of Health Research

Background: This article rethinks current public health policies to transdisciplinarily reorient the countries’ tourism policies as a preparation to future pandemics. This adds to the public health discourse that West Asian international travel megahubs could be susceptible spaces to high risks of transnational viral transmissions.

Method: This is a letter to the editor.

Results: The United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Qatar are the world’s leading international travel megahubs, with Saudi Arabia catching up following its efforts in establishing a new national airline to increase international passenger traffic. Collectively, they are connected to more than half of the world’s leading international …

The Economic Impact Of Covid-19 On Religious Tourism To The Kartarpur Corridor, Farooq Haq, Anita Medhekar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The aim of this paper is to analyse the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religious tourism in the Kartarpur Gurdwara Corridor between the Punjab States of Pakistan and India. The corridor was opened as a peace building initiative 72 years after the partition of India-Pakistan. In November 2019, thousands of Sikh pilgrims visited Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib in Punjab to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion Guru Nanakji, where he spent last 19 years of his life. The Government of Pakistan invested heavily to build the infrastructure facilities for connecting both borders …

Pilgrimage During Covid-19: Impacts, Adaptations, And Recovery, Anne E. Bailey Dr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Towards the end of 2020, this journal published an issue devoted to the impact of COVID-19. The novel coronavirus was having a devastating effect not only on public health but also on the global religious tourism industry. Places of worship closed, pilgrimage events and activities were cancelled, and travel restrictions limited mobility. A viable vaccination was predicted to be eighteen months away. One contributor even asked, ‘Is this the end of pilgrimage?’

This article re-examines and re-evaluates the impact of COVID-19, taking up some of the themes introduced in the 2020 issue. Focusing on western pilgrimage, with evidence from online …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Independent African Churches (Iacs) In Johannesburg, South Africa, Constance Nyika, Milena Ivanovic, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the religious tourism activities of the four most prominent Independent Apostolic Churches (IAC) operating in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interpretive qualitative research study based on data from 15 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with congregants and church leaders of the Zion Christian Church, Zimbabwe (ZCC Mutendi), The Apostolic Church of Johane Marange, The Apostolic Church of Johane Masowe and Apostolic Faith Church, Mugodhi. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the religious tourism activities of all four IACs in the study as they …

Tourism Observatories For Measuring The Covid-19 Impact On Tourism, Georgia Zouni Dr., Stavros Hatzimarinakis, Sotirios Varelas

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) began at the end of 2019 and since then has led to a period of global transformations and changes for all aspects of the economy, tourism included. A fundamental action to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 and accelerate recovery is the setup of local sustainable tourism observatories (UNWTO, 2020). This paper proposes a system theory-based framework for measuring the COVID-19 impact on tourism at regional and local level, using a mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology combined with the UNWTO and United Nations’s recommendations for COVID-19 Tourism Recovery.

Impact Of Covid-19 On Aviation-Wildlife Strikes Across Europe, Isabel C. Metz, Marta Giordano, Dionysios Ntampakis, Marianna Moira, Anneke Hamann, Rosanne Blijleven, Jürgen J. Ebert, Alessandro Montemaggiori

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife (i.e., wildlife strikes) pose a serious threat toward the safety of aircraft, its crew, and passengers. The effects of COVID-19 related travel restrictions on wildlife strikes are unknown. With this study, we aim to address this information gap by assessing the changes of wildlife hazard management performance across European airports during the lockdown period (e.g., period of reduced operations and borders closure in spring 2020). We also sought to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife strike prevention in times of reduced operations. The objective of our study was to compare wildlife strike data before …

Seeking Coherence In A Covid-19 Context: The Maltese Islands During The Pandemic, Maximilian Bonnici, Isabelle Bonnici, Brett Miller, Jack Victory, Parth Panchal, Nathan Williams

International Journal of Islands Research

Malta had a rollercoaster experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. One moment it was doing exceptionally well. The next moment it became a basket case, the second worst in Europe. It was unlikely that a little island would garner an ongoing attention in the international press when each country was focusing on its pandemic problems at home. For this research, we visited Malta and explored first-hand the dichotomy between official statements and what transpires on the ground during a pandemic. Maltese public policy communications rely on a conduit model where policy messages are sent to the public in a one-way direction. …

Revisiting The Inner Self In Times Of Debilitating Distress: Gateways For Wellness Through Spiritual Tourism, Manpreet Arora, Roshan Lal Sharma, Sandeep Walia

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our bodies, minds and souls. Having suffered it for more than a year now we know how crucial it is to tackle the pandemic at physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We have well-established Standard Operating Procedures alongside vaccines to deal with it at physical level, but equally crucial are mental and spiritual problems caused by COVID-19 (Chopra, 2020).

This paper seeks to explore certain gateways and possibilities of dealing with distress, despair, anxiety, angst, trauma and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in diverse arenas of human activities to ascertain how crucial …

From Hurricanes To Pandemics: Community-Based Transformation And Destination Resilience In Utuado, Puerto Rico, Patrick J. Holladay, Pablo Méndez-Lázaro, Katja Brundiers

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

Community-based tourism that is both sustainable and resilient lends strength to the community-based tourism system. Local mobilization of resources, cohesiveness, coordination, opportunities for change, healthy social and natural capital, economic diversification, strong leadership, and management that embraces creativity all build resilience. An example from Utuado, Puerto Rico is presented that illustrates these concepts with conceptual parallel of Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact to that of COVID-19. Post-coronavirus tourism should support local communities that could be resilient, creative, adaptive and transformative while it protects and provides long-term benefits to local communities and people.

The Effects Of Covid-19 Epidemic On Guided Tours And Alternative Tour Samples From Turkey, Bayram Akay

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effect of covid-19 on guided tours and examine the alternative tour examples that have emerged in Turkey during the pandemic. In this study, qualitative research method was used and data analyses were conducted using content analysis. The content analysis have been made through the statistics, reports and qualitative research methods by tourism portals (Tourism current, tourism news), UNWTO, Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI), Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB and Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism (ATTA). In Turkey during the pandemic, the number of tourists decreased by 70% and …

Analysis Of E-Complaints Regarding Hotel Restaurants During Covid-19 Process: The Case Of Antalya, Sevim Usta, Serkan Sengul

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The study aimed to determine the customer complaints about hotel restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted in restaurants of 50 5-Star Hotels in Antalya, Turkey's most visited tourist destination. The authors consider that the findings of this study are important for comparing with the studies in current literature. Among the TripAdvisor reviews written in English between December 2019 and March 2021 on hotel restaurants, 300 complaints were detected. Of the 300 complaints, 825 content of complaint was determined. It was determined that the customer complaints are generally related to "average" services and that among the produced codes, …

Impacts Of Covid-19 On The U.S. Restaurant Industry From The Global Perspective, Seoki Lee, Hyoungju Song, Michael S. Lin, Amit Sharma

Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

The current study explores the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. restaurant industry in terms of its stock performance, and further incorporates a global perspective into this examination by testing both the main and moderating effects of non-U.S. COVID-19 and also the moderating effect of the internationalization strategy of the U.S. restaurant industry. Findings of this study confirm that U.S. COVID-19 had a negative influence on U.S. restaurant firms' stock returns while non-U.S. COVID-19 had a positive impact. Further, the non-U.S. COVID-19 had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between U.S. COVID-19 and restaurant firms' stock returns. Unexpectedly, the …

Reflections On How The Covid-19 Pandemic Can Change Tour Guiding, Luis Miguel Brito, Cristina Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

This short editorial paper reflects on the Tour Guiding industry in 2020 and the impact of COVID-19. The paper suggests that while the pandemic and its associated lockdowns has devastated the tourism industry, it has also encouraged those working in the industry to be more innovative and imaginative in their business practices. While the impact of the virus is acknowledged, it is proposed that 2020 may be a turning point in redefining tourism in general and Tour Guiding in particular.

Precautions Taken Against The Covid-19 By Presidency Of Religious Affairs In Terms Of Hajj And Umrah Pilgrimage: The Case Of Turkey, Onur Akbulut, Yakin Ekin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The gathering of people in a concentrated manner within particular spaces / places has become a serious issue during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Mass gatherings of individuals seem to be investigated intensively by researchers both in these days and will be further in the forthcoming years. Religion-oriented gatherings are of great importance because they have spiritual motivation for the ones who practice them. For many participants, these gatherings are essential at least once in their life. As is seen from its very nature, religious motivation is one of the most potent subjects to be considered in terms of mass gatherings. …

Covid-19 And Religious Tourism: An Overview Of Impacts And Implications, Raheel Yasin Mr, Junaimah Jauhar, Noor Fareen Abdul Rahim, Sarah Namoco, Mohammad Saleh Enaizan Bataineh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism and its allied industries (airline and hospitality) have been hit hard by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) globally. This paper specifically explores the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on religious tourism and aims to enhance the literature; it also aims to provide a path for future research work, in particular empirical research or future research that covers the effects of this pandemic on destinations. This paper is built on the fusion of news published by different news agencies to support an overview of related literature on religious tourism and tourism management. This paper confirms that COVID-19 has affected religious travellers …

Padre Pio, Pandemic Saint: The Effects Of The Spanish Flu And Covid-19 On Pilgrimage And Devotion To The World’S Most Popular Saint, Michael A. Di Giovine

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the Catholic world, pilgrimages and other devotional rituals are often undertaken to foster healing and well-being. Thus, shrines dedicated to saints are particularly relevant in times of pandemic. Pilgrimage to the shrines associated with 20th century Italian stigmatic, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, known as one of the Catholic world’s most popular saints, is particularly informed by this notion, as Pio is understood as a healing saint thanks to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy that marked his ministry during his lifetime, as well as belief in the miraculous nature of his relics. Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina and …