Communication during COVID-19 crisis: A case of hotels in Turkey

Abstract

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 Turkey who are members of SKÅL International. After the recordings of the interviews were transcribed, the collected data were coded and analyzed by MAXQDA. Some of the striking answers from the participants that were given in the findings section by making descriptive analysis. 9 themes and 43 codes emerged in the findings of the study. Social media usage and informing are the most emphasized topics for crisis management by the participants.