Abstract
As nations and tourism destinations are beginning to relax nonpharmaceutical measures for the prevention of the COVID-19 virus, a major quest of tourism stakeholders is to restart and restore the once viable and productive industry to its prior state. While the urge to restart and restore may necessitate a strategic plan and drastic measures, care must be taken not to undermine the sustainability of the destination. The current study seeks to understand the perceptions of residents of Northern Cyprus as key tourism stakeholders concerning the impacts of COVID-19 to the island’s tourism activities and recommendations for recovery post pandemic. To this end, the study used grounded theory and semistructured interviews to explore how residents perceive the contribution of focused advertisements and stakeholder engagement in the sustainable restoration of tourism activities post COVID-19 on the island. While divergent opinions were gathered, it can be inferred that stakeholders expect the implementation of strategic plans aided by focused advertisements to ensure the sustainability of their tourist destinations. Policy directions and academic contributions are also stated as requirements.
Highlights
More than ever, the sustainability of tourism destinations is a concern for tourism stakeholders as many destinations are gearing to restart tourism
The central focus of the current study was to understand the extent of damage that the outbreak of the COVID-19 has had on the Northern Cyprus tourism industry, and how focus advertisement and stakeholder collaboration can aid the restart of the industry in a sustainable way to preserve the resources of the destination
The current study explores the role of focus advertisement and stakeholder engagement in the sustainable restoration of tourism activities, post-COVID-19, in Northern
Summary
The sustainability of tourism destinations is a concern for tourism stakeholders as many destinations are gearing to restart tourism. Just before the outbreak of the coronavirus in late 2019, the concerns of over-tourism impacts on the sustainable development of tourism were at the forefront of deliberations and policy formulation of many destinations [1]. Owing to the colossal adverse impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry [2], stakeholder’s eagerness to restart, rejuvenate and restore tourism activities to their initial state is a fundamental quest. To achieve optimal tourism benefits with minimal risks to the sustainability of the destination, stakeholder engagement, which refers to the acceptance and involvement of stakeholders’ perception in the evaluatory and participatory processes involved in the development and implementation of strategic plans for sustainable destination development [4], must be operational
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