The Covid-19 pandemic and mental health: the case of workers in the travel industry in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has a drastic impact on the global tourism sector, threatening the livelihoods and the physical and mental health of millions of people around the world. The purposes of this article are to 1) examine the relationship between unemployment, travel restrictions by the Covid-19 pandemic, and mental health of workers in the travel industry; and 2) what these workers do to limit the negative effects on mental health in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam. The methods used in this article are the qualitative approach, the secondary document analysis, the semi-structured in-depth interviews, and the purposeful monitoring of interviewees’ Facebook statuses. To achieve the desired goals in the article, the conservation of resources theory is mobilized. The research finds out that the job loss is the cause of psychological stress and the lack of regular travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic also has a negative impact on the mental health of workers in the travel industry. Furthermore, the study shows that the interviewees used a variety of methods to reduce stress on their mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The popular activities they have used include learning new knowledge through online channels, updating information about tours and routes, taking care of their family and children, spending a lot of time on social media, and exercising on a daily basis.