Tourism and Travel Commons^™

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 …

Covid-19 And Tourism: Analyzing The Effects Of Covid-19 Statistics And Media Coverage On Attitudes Toward Tourism, Maksim Godovykh, Jorge Ridderstaat, Carissa Baker, Alan Fyall

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

COVID-19 has significantly influenced tourism, including tourists’ and residents’ attitudes toward tourism. At the same time, attitudes and consumer confidence are important for economic recovery in the tourism sector. This study explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s attitudes toward tourism by analyzing time-series data on the number of COVID-19 positive cases, vaccinations, news sentiment, a total number of daily mentions of tourism, and the share of voice for positive and negative sentiment toward tourism. The applied data analysis techniques include descriptive analysis, visual representation of data, data decomposition into trend and cycle components, unit root tests, Granger …

Impacts Of Covid-19 On Chinese Nationals' Tourism Preferences, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Yuhong Shao, Ying Zeng, Xinyi Liu, Zhiyong Li

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the impacts of COVID-19 on Chinese nationals' tourism preferences. Employing a mixed-method research design, two rounds of nation-wide online surveys were conducted, one in February 2020 when COVID-19 cases started to peak in China and another one in June 2020 when COVID-19 was a global pandemic; both survey studies were accompanied with semi-structured in-depth interviews and altogether 37 interviews were conducted in two stages. Based on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data, the research identified that: 1) COVID-19 significantly reduced Chinese nationals' preferences to travel to countries with high infection numbers, and geographically faraway, administratively …

The State Of The Hospitality Industry 2021 Employment Report: Covid-19 Labor Force Legacy, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly Semrad, Manuel A. Rivera

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing impact on the U.S. hospitality industry. The report details the primary economic issues the industry faces as well as provides a unique workforce analysis that anticipates continued labor shortages as the country moves towards an endemic. The research was conducted using a national survey with almost 1,000 U.S. hospitality workers. The survey includes questions pertaining to COVID-19 related hospitality employee topics such as: the impact COVID-19 had on hospitality jobs, employees' intentions to leave the industry, employees likelihood to accept or look for a hospitality job, employees' perceived …

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, …

Antecedents And Outcomes Of Health Risk Perceptions In Tourism, Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Maksim Godovykh, Abraham Pizam, Frida Bahja

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the concept of perceived risks, identify the main antecedents and outcomes of health risk perceptions and propose a conceptual model of health risk perceptions in tourism.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper provides a review of the literature on customer risk perceptions, along with their antecedents and outcomes, and proposes a conceptual model of health risk perceptions in tourism.

Findings: Key findings reveal that the main factors of health risk perceptions can be broadly classified into cognitive, affective, individual and contextual components. The proposed conceptual model of health risk perceptions provides a theoretically integrated …

Covid-19, Camping, And Construal Level Theory, Christopher Craig, Siyao Ma, Ismail Karabas

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on travelers’ future recreational vehicle, cabin, and tent camping decisions extending the Construal Level Theory. Findings suggest that camping consideration due to COVID-19 is significantly related to understanding about time and distance of travel and dependent on pandemic scale.

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

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction 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.

Glamping After The Coronavirus Pandemic, Christopher Craig, Ismail Karabas

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Glamping is an increasingly popular and accessible modern form of camping. To address current and future impacts of COVID-19 on glamping, 2,926 active leisure travelers in the US and Canada were surveyed. Respondents were asked about post-COVID-19 glamping trip plans and hotel/resort trip plans for comparison. Independent variables of interest include 2019 accommodation experiences, 2020 accommodation plans prior to COVID-19, and socio-demographics. Results indicate more active leisure travelers have plans to take glamping trips (45.9%) after COVID-19 when permissible than hotel/resort trips (24.7%). The results highlight that the broad accessibility of glamping make it a viable leisure travel alternative during …

Tourism Well-Being And Transitioning Island Destinations For Sustainable Development, Jerome Agrusa, Cathrine Linnes, Joseph Lema, Jihye Ellie Min, Tony Henthorne, Holly Itoga, Harold Lee

Hospitality Faculty Research

The unprecedented growth of tourism over the last century has led to increasing concerns over the sustainable development of many popular tourism destinations throughout the globe. High concentrations of tourists and residents, especially in urbanized areas, have heightened this concern with the arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Over reliance on tourism has left residents vulnerable to external factors, such as the coronavirus pandemic that has halted tourists from coming to this remote destination. As a result, Hawaii’s overall economy is suffering greatly. A survey was developed and distributed to potential tourists in order to acquire their perceptions regarding …

A Flair To Remember: Innovative Use Of Technology During Covid-19 Focus On Weddings, Carla Rosas, Danielle Lynch, Mj Adekanmbi, Simioluwa Opayemi

Case Studies

Student blog series from MSc in Event Management students at TU Dublin.

In this blog post Carla Rosas, Danielle Lynch, MJ Adekanmbi and Simioluwa Opayemi interview event planner Gabriella Olukoya from luxury events company A Flair to Remember. Gabriella gives vital insight on the current state of the wedding industry and also on how to ‘flip the script’ and use the ‘negatives’ and make them positives to elevate an events company. As a current ‘Regional Finalist’ for Wedding Planner of the Year, Gabby is a prime example of ‘Creating Success’ during COVID-19 by adding and implementing technology into their events …

Frog Prince Weddings: Using Innovation And Technology During Covid-19, Aisling Yeomans, Ciara Croke, Ellen Foley, Maire Mohally

Case Studies

Student blog series from MSc in Event Management students at TU Dublin . In this blog post Aisling Yeomans, Ciara Croke, Ellen Foley and Marie Mohally interview Daniel P. Attard, senior wedding and event planner at Frog Prince. Daniel discusses the ways Frog Prince has used technology for internal communication while working remotely and externally to manage client relationships.

The Missing Link Between Medical Science Knowledge And Public Awareness: Implications For Tourism And Hospitality Recovery After Covid-19, Jun Wen, Haifeng Hou, Metin Kozak, Fang Meng, Chung-En Yu, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: As the world grapples with the pervasive effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a notable disconnect has emerged in the public's understanding of scientific and medical research. Particularly, the travel industry has become unquestionably vulnerable amid the COVID-19 outbreak; this pandemic has interrupted the industry's operations with devastating economic consequences. This paper aims to highlight the importance of deconstructing barriers between medical science and public awareness related to COVID-19, taking tourism as a case in point. It also discusses the role of interdisciplinary research in facilitating the tourism and hospitality industry's recovery and alleviating tourists' uncertainties in the wake of …

Public Health Lessons From Crisis-Related Travel: The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jun Wen, Zhaohui Su

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of How The Goodyear Rubber And Tire Company Should Navigate The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicholas Zubek, Alexander Morgan, Alyson Pekkola, Kayla Jancewicz, Thomas Rovnak Iii

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in an unprecedented way with many countries being forced to shut down all non-essential businesses. A majority of people were laid-off or forced to work from home while the state mandated quarantine regulations. Due to fewer people and employees commuting on the roads, tire usage has decreased drastically. Companies, like The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, depend on high transportation and automobile usage and thus have been heavily impacted. In the nine months since 2020 began, Goodyear has reported sales of $2.367 billion dollars lower than their sales in 2019, which mostly came …

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 …

Covid-19 And Social Distancing Implications For Religious Activities And Travel: The Case Of The Serbian Orthodox Church, Danijel S. Pavlović

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic affects people’s everyday way of life. International tourism is one of the most affected activities today, since one of the key measures in the strategy of keeping control over the new pandemic is preventing closer human contact. This includes restricting and discouraging the movement of people towards tourism destinations. These measures have caused major problems for the tourism industry and no form of tourism has been spared. The COVID-19 outbreak, as a real threat to public life and health, has established a new measure as a mandatory condition in everyday life globally - called social distancing. This …

Covid-19 Pandemic: Risks Facing Hajj And Umrah, Razaq Raj, Dino Bozonelos

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The two major gatherings of Muslims which take place in Makkah and Madinah, the two holiest cities of Saudi Arabia, are umrah during Ramadan the 9th month and Hajj Dhul-Hajjah in the 12th month of the Islamic year. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a massive economic and social impact on pilgrimages for Muslims - because these gatherings could lead to widespread exposures and possible spread of COVID-19 to every corner of the world, it forced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to cancel Umrah in March 2020. The pandemic has also prompted the Saudi government to limit Hajj, with some exceptions, …

Crisis Management And The Impact Of Pandemics On Religious Tourism, William Mosier, Tariq Elhadary, Ismail A. Elhaty, Mehdi Safaei

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused a worldwide shockwave of fear and much misinformation leaving chaos in its wake. Holy shrines and other religious sites have a special place in the hearts and minds of many people. For example, the mosques in Makkah and Medina, Saudi Arabia typically accommodate over one hundred thousand Muslims daily. Due to the spread of COVID-19, both mosques were forced to shut their doors to pilgrims for health and safety reasons. This situation has saddened millions of Muslims all over the globe. The same situation applies to Qom City in Iran, Bethlehem …

Reflecting On The Impact Of Covid-19 On Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage, Razaq Raj, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

COVID-19 is devastating the religious tourism industry in terms of economic, social, food, employment and faith related impacts. Pilgrimages are being stopped, and mass gatherings are halted. We are in middle of a very difficult time for the religious tourism industry and this has become a major concern for governments around the world. The leading nations such as USA, UK, Italy, Spain, Japan, Russia, Germany and China are struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic. We are facing the biggest test of the tourism industry in over half a century, one which has exceeded the downturn of the 9/11 terrorism attacks. …

Volume 8(Vii) Table Of Contents & Editorial, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

How Shall We ‘Hammer’ And ‘Dance’?, Wee Kiat Lim

Asian Management Insights

On the promises and perils of domestic tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Rebuilding The Las Vegas Economy, Jaewon Lim

Policy Briefs and Reports

This study analyzes the recent trends of monthly visitors to the Las Vegas-ParadiseHenderson, NV metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the first five months of 2020. In addition, six scenarios for the seven-month period of June through December 2020 estimate the net loss of visitors to Southern Nevada and the impact for the state economy in terms of employment, income, the total value added (contribution to Gross State Product), output sales, and state and local tax revenues. The counter-factual scenario – projecting the regional economy if no COVID-19 outbreak occurred – serves as a baseline scenario that allows measurement of the …

Turnaround Management Of Airport Service Providers Operating During Covid-19 Restrictions, Bassam Buhusayen, Pi-Shen Seet, Alan Coetzer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Many sectors worldwide have been impacted by government restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restrictions on travel have resulted in major losses for organizations operating within the aviation sector. This study aims to emphasize the challenges faced by these organizations while they implement turnaround management strategies. The study is based on 30 semi-structured interviews with frontline managers working for airline service providers in three different departments of an airport in Australia. The organization has implemented several turnaround management strategies to survive the crisis caused by COVID-19 restrictions, creating new …