Does the level of a country's resilience moderate the link between the tourism industry and the economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines whether the level of a country's resilience to shocks moderates the link between the size of the tourism industry and the economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic using data from 113 countries. The findings suggest that countries with large tourism sectors responded more aggressively by using economic stimulus packages to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the impact of the tourism sector is moderated by the country's resilience to shocks. The study also finds that both high level of economic resilience and high level of risk quality of a country moderate the link between the tourism sector and the economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of the study suggest that tourism businesses in high resilient countries are better prepared to cope with the disruptive challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and thus needed less assistance from governments. Improving a country's resilience to shocks is an important strategy to minimize the impact of future negative shocks in the tourism sector.