Networking in Tourism Business: A Strategy for Recovering from COVID-19 in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract This paper proposes a model that establishes a link between the motivation to join a network, the selection of a partner on the basis of communication and shared goals, a relationship orientation based on trust and reciprocity, and the ability of tourism businesses to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to improve business performance. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from 169 respondents. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. In order to get more insights into the studied constructs, age and size were used as moderators. Five hypotheses out of six are supported. The findings also show that the performance of tourism businesses, particularly that of small and young firms, was not significantly affected by the goals of firms. Similarly, with regard to small firms, trust did not significantly improve their performance in the recovery process. Interestingly, communication did not affect performance in the overall sample, but was affected by the moderators. The findings mean that investing in tourism businesses may require different networking strategies, depending on what business one invests in. Finally, the study could help policymakers and practitioners develop investment strategies to assist businesses in quickly recovering from the impact of COVID-19, thereby attracting more investors and tourists to the country.