Crisis Management and the Organisational Learning of Local Travel Agencies: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The travel agency, as an important player in the tourism industry, has been largely ignored in current crisis management literature. Based on 28 in-depth semi-structured interviews, this study explored the crisis management strategies employed, and the organizational learning achieved, by Chinese travel agencies during two temporal stages (lockdown and post-lockdown) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It not only identified five coping strategies but also revealed three lessons that Chinese travel agencies have learned during this period of disruption. Theoretically, this study extends the literature on crisis management and organizational learning from a micro perspective and acknowledges the temporal dimension as well as the importance of tour guides. Practically, the study provides implications that will assist travel agencies to deal with future crises, especially international health emergencies such as COVID-19.