Abstract
The COVID-19 virus pandemic has generated an unprecedented impact on all aspects of life, including rural tourism. This study aims to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of homestay businesses in Gubukklakah Village, Malang Regency, and their adjustment measures to get out of the pandemic. A survey research with descriptive and quantitative approaches was conducted on 47 active homestay owners. 98% of the respondents stated that the pandemic affected their homestay business activities. About 44.6% of them said that the pandemic would not last long, while more than 50% of them said that the pandemic would last a long time. The pandemic has decreased the number of active homestays from 47 to 11, coupled with an 81% decline in income. Due to the pandemic, about 85.1% of the respondents returned to farming activities. The study suggests several actions that can be done to respond to the pandemic, namely the application of health protocols in various activities, the provision of cash or non-cash assistance to pandemic affected families, the strengthening of the agricultural sector and skilled human resources in tourism services, and the innovation of outdoor tourism products based on local uniqueness.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unfathomable impact
The study used a descriptive and quantitative approach to explore the situations faced by homestay business actors in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. 47 people running homestay businesses in Gubukklakah Village were interviewed to obtain data on the variables of their perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, income, and business related efforts made during the pandemic
Tourism activities in Gubukklakah Village carried out by its homestays showed a significant contribution to the village development
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unfathomable impact. The pandemic has crippled the economies of many countries, burdening almost all economic and social sectors. Measures to cope with the pandemic in all countries rely on the standardized health measures of testing, quarantines, and the complete closure of borders, resulting in all social and economic activities being disrupted. The implementation of the vaccination has been slower than expected, further delaying economic recovery efforts, which may create a more severe economic crisis (UNWTO, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism sector all over the world (Harchandani & Shome, 2021). The pandemic reduced the flow of tourist arrivals worldwide by 87%, marking 2020 the worst year in tourism history. Due to various restrictive regulations in many countries, the flow of tourists in the Asia Pacific region has decreased by 96% (UNWTO, 2021)
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