Exploring the impacts of internal crisis communication on tourism employees insights from a mixed-methods study

Abstract

Internal crisis communication is a critical yet understudied component in crisis management in tourism and hospitality management. Guided by the language expectancy theory, this study tested the effects of message frequency and transparency on internal crisis communication outcomes among tourism employees. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative component included 20 interviews, and the quantitative component involved a national survey of 804 completed responses from tourism workers. The qualitative findings showed that following the onset of a major crisis, tourism employees often expect timely and transparent communication from their employers. Effective communication enhances the employer-employee relationships and employers' commitment to the organization. The quantitative findings supported these notions and indicated that transparent internal crisis communication reduces turnover intentions. The findings provide insights into conceptualizing internal crisis communication in tourism by incorporating message frequency and transparency. This paper also offers practical implications and suggests several future research areas.