Tourism Crisis Research Articles

Tourists’ Experiences During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Plateau State, Nigeria: An Empirical Evaluation Using Chaos Theory

The safety of tourists’ health when visiting any tourism business is critical in tourism management and development. By using chaos theory, this study aimed to understand how 408 tourists in Plateau State, Nigeria, behaved toward tourism-related businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Completed and retrieved responses were analyzed descriptively using an inductive method, following a pragmatic approach. The findings of this investigation are consistent with chaos theory. Results from our survey indicate that 93% of tourists took precautions. This suggests that in an otherwise random and chaotic period of the tourism crisis, self-organization brought order and new stability. With a mean score of 40%, safety and hygiene were ranked as the two main influencing factors that changed tourists’ actual behaviour during the pandemic. The alteration in behaviour might be attributed to tourists’ awareness of their risk of catching the COVID-19 virus when visiting tourist attractions. Empirical evidence shows that non-interactive restriction techniques had a significant impact on tourist behaviour. Thus, the impact of the pandemic on tourists’ protective behaviour continues to play a part in tourists’ behaviour during and after the pandemic, implying that the chaos theory approach might be used as a crisis management tool in the tourism industry.

A micro‐level model for crisis management in tourism destinations: An interdisciplinary approach

AbstractCrisis management models aim to prevent, prepare and successfully overcome a crisis. The tourism industry is particularly prone to crises and thus requires adequate models to deal with crises and disasters. Several researchers developed crisis management models for tourism crises. As scholars call for a more holistic approach, this systematic literature review examines 25 crisis management models with organisational and tourism focus between 1979 and 2019 applicable to the tourism field. A textual narrative synthesis is used as methodological approach to analyse and understand the identified models, not only formally but also content‐wise. The findings show that crisis terminology is not consistent, that the crisis lifecycle and crisis management processes are used disparately and that stakeholder involvement within the models is low. As a result, a new model for destination crisis management is created on a micro‐level with aligned terms and phases.

Tourism Crisis Events Affecting Intention towards Forest-Based Health Tourism: A Structural Equation Model

Since the beginning of the 21st century, various tourism crisis events have negatively impacted the global tourism industry. This study proposes a research model grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response theory to explore how external stimuli influence individuals and help identify factors influencing elderly individuals’ willingness to participate in forest-based health tourism during and after tourism crisis events, considering the global aging trend. From 20 December 2023 to 15 January 2024, we collected 429 valid questionnaires from Chinese older adult participants engaged in forest-based health tourism in Guizhou Province. Structural equation modelling (SEM) and bootstrapping techniques were employed to analyze data. The results indicate that tourism crisis events, primarily in the form of geological disasters, are significant antecedent variables influencing the willingness of Chinese older adults to engage in forest-based health tourism. Furthermore, destination image and perceived value serve as individual mediators and function as chained mediators. The results enhance our understanding of the complex relationship between tourism crisis events and the willingness of older Chinese adults to travel while also revealing deeper underlying mechanisms.

Impacts of the terrorist attacks and political incidents in major cities on tourism industry: Evidence from the tourism managers in Turkey

Tourism crises caused by terrorism are characterised by a sharp decline in inbound tourism and a severe deterioration of destination image. Between 2015 and 2017, Turkey suffered terrorist attacks and political incidents in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Gaziantep, and Şanlıurfa. This paper explores crisis-related factors and their influence on destination image and tourism demand with a series of three studies adopting both primary data collected from tourism managers and secondary data analysis of tourism statistics. Study A explored the adapted measurement tool's reliability and validity to define the factors related to crisis impacts. Study B involved CFA to validate the dimensions of measurement tools and regression analyses to examine their influence on destination image and tourism demand. Study C included a comparison of the tourist arrival and expenditure statistics from 2014 to 2019 with a secondary data analysis. Study A showed that the long-term effects of crises caused by terrorism must be evaluated in structural and political dimensions. Study B indicated that both factors affected destination image negatively, while only structural problems influenced international and domestic tourism demand. Study C supported the effect of both factors on tourist arrivals and tourism income, involving the analysis of tourism statistics.

Guiding tourists’ cautious behaviour: the interaction role of goal message framing and construal level message during the public health crisis context

ABSTRACT Crisis communication is crucial for tourists’ safety, few studies have explored the impact of goal message framing and construal level message on tourists’ cautious behaviours in the public health crisis context. This study investigated the interaction effects of goal message framing effects (gain vs. loss) and construal level message (concrete vs. abstract) on tourists’ risk perception and cautious behaviours using two experiments. The findings suggest that the combination of a loss message and a concrete message, as well as the combination of a gain message and an abstract message, can effectively guide tourists’ cautious behaviours. Among these, the amalgamation of loss message framing with a concrete message is more effective and significant. Simultaneously, the persuasive effect of goal message framing and construal level on tourists’ cautious behaviours is mediated through risk perception. The results of this study can have better suggestions and responses for government units and tourism organisations in tourism crisis management.

Chaos theory perspective on tourism crisis management: A case study of the COVID‐19 pandemic in South Korea

AbstractThe global tourism industry has been significantly affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, underscoring the importance of innovative crisis management. Traditional crisis management approaches based on the generalized assumption of linearity fail to account for the complex and chaotic nature of tourism crises and systems. Chaos theory, well‐known for its ability to manage unpredictable events and facilitate the emergence of new orders, provides a useful framework for tourism crisis management. Thus, this study aims to investigate the application of chaos theory principles to crisis management during the COVID‐19 pandemic in South Korea. This study provides a synthesis of theoretical perspectives and practical examples with significant implications for tourism crisis management, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration. Overall, this study contributes to the theoretical discourse on tourism crisis management and provides practical guidance for industry stakeholders to navigate potential future crises effectively.

The Impact of Neoliberalism on Crisis Management in Bali’s Tourism Sector

ABSTRACT With the demise of sustainable tourism as a panacea for the community-level impacts of mass tourism, some scholars have) called for destination management and planning to re-focus on the politics behind tourism. In response, we examine tourism destination management from a political economy perspective to provide a contemporary understanding of tourism crises and inform what changes are required to achieve sustainable tourism. We do this by investigating of a well-known global tourism destination, Bali, using interviews and a survey. These indicate the extent to which neoliberal development policies in Indonesia’s tourism sector have intensified Bali’s susceptibility to crises and kept crisis management policies minimal, temporary and unable to respond effectively. While the obvious argument is that tourism planning at all levels needs to be more cognisant of the sector’s vulnerability to crisis, neoliberal development doctrine inhibits engagement with crisis and its impacts on society, which was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applying the right remedy? Crisis management reporting on different destination resilience under the internal crisis events

ABSTRACT Research on precise crisis management reporting strategies for destinations with different levels of resilience remains insufficient. Therefore, based on situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), this study analyses the interaction effects of crisis management reporting and perceived destination resilience on the maintenance of destination-tourist relationship quality by conducting three scenario-based experiments. The results indicate that, among destinations facing internal crises, matching constructive crisis management reporting with high perceived destination resilience and matching nonconstructive crisis management reporting with low perceived destination resilience can maintain destination-tourist relationship quality more effectively. Moreover, destination trust and perceived responsiveness play mediating roles in this process. The study reveals the influencing factors and process mechanisms associated with the process of maintaining destination-tourist relationship quality under the impact of internal crises, thereby expanding the theoretical framework for and content of destination crisis communication research and providing practical guidance for tourism crisis response and management.

Which trust layer better counterbalances the risk impact on travel intentions in a crisis scenario?

The severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry has revived academic interest in evaluating the strategic role of trust in crises. As a force able to mitigate uncertainty and vulnerability, trust can influence people's travel decision-making process. Extant tourism crisis literature concentrates on individual trust levels in isolation, neglecting its multi-faceted nature. Therefore, a research gap emerges in identifying trust layers that most effectively enhance the intention to travel. In order to address this gap, this study adopts a multi-layered trust perspective rooted in the protection motivation theory (PMT). This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of multi-layer trust as a coping mechanism to enhance intention to travel in the cruise industry. This study uses survey data from 661 cruisers and applies structural equation modeling to test hypotheses empirically. Results highlight that trust in the company and interpersonal trust are the most effective antecedents of the intention to travel, effectively mitigating the perceived health risk. Conversely, trust in the vaccine and trust in the certification show no significant influence on the intention to travel. Therefore, in times of crisis, cruise lines should leverage trust in the company and interpersonal trust as strategic tools to counterbalance the perceived health risks and stimulate travel intentions.

Recovery time of the hotel and restaurant sector in Indonesia after COVID-19 crisis: a survival analysis

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted tourism, and the hotel and restaurant industry was the most affected sector, which faced issues related to business uncertainty and unemployment during the crisis. The analysis of recovery time and the influence factors is significant to support policymakers in developing an effective response and mitigating the risks associated with the tourism crisis. This study aims to investigate numerous factors affecting the recovery time of the hotel and restaurant sector after the COVID-19 crisis by using survival analysis.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the quarterly value added with the observation time from quarter 1 in 2020 to quarter 1 in 2023 to measure the recovery status. The recovery time refers to the number of quarters needed for the hotel and restaurant sector to get value added equal to or exceed the value added before the crisis. This study applies survival models, including lognormal regression, Weibull regression, and Cox regression, to investigate the effect of numerous factors on the hazard ratio of recovery time of hotels and restaurants after the COVID-19 crisis. This model accommodates all cases, including “recovered” and “not recovered yet” areas.FindingsThe empirical findings represented that the Cox regression model stratified by the area type fit the data well. The priority tourism areas had a longer recovery time than the non-priority areas, but they had a higher probability of recovery from a crisis of the same magnitude. The size of the regional gross domestic product, decentralization funds, multiplier effect, recovery time of transportation, and recovery time of the service sector had a significant impact on the probability of recovery.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by examining the recovery time of the hotel and restaurant sector across Indonesian provinces after the COVID-19 crisis. Employing survival analysis, this study identifies the pivotal factors affecting the probability of recovery. Moreover, this study stands as a pioneer in investigating the multiplier effect of the regional tourism and its impact on the speed of recovery.

Mocking oneself or teasing others? The interactive effects of humorous message framing and tourism crisis response strategies

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have investigated tourism crisis communication, but few studies have focused on matching crisis communication message framing with crisis response strategy. Therefore, we explored the interactive effects of humorous message framing (HMF) and crisis response strategy (CRS) on destination reputation. The results indicate that adopting an apology CRS alongside self-deprecating HMF improves destination reputation, while the combination of a denial CRS with aggressive HMF helps restore destination reputation. Moreover, perceived sincerity and destination trust are effective mediators. This paper reveals the logic behind the application of destination CRS and deepens academics’ comprehension of the effect of HMF. It expands the research system of tourism crisis communication from the viewpoint of message framing. Meanwhile, the results provide theoretical and practical references for destination crisis response and reputation recovery.

Save the Day: How the Dissemination of Tourism Crises Can Reinvigorate a Tourism Destination Image after the Seoul Halloween Crowd Crush

For tourism crises, social media present a double-edged sword: while disseminating the damage caused by tourism crises, it also has the potential to enhance the destination’s visibility and serve as a promotional tool. So, we cannot entirely negate the dissemination of tourism crises but rather proactively utilize its positive aspects to promote the sustainable development of the tourism destination image (TDI). Crisis events caused by management mistakes can be particularly damaging to people’s trust in destination management organizations (DMOs), and a crowd crush is a common and highly damaging type of tourism crisis caused by public management mistakes. Thus, the purpose of this study is to summarize the factors that may positively influence TDI in the dissemination of tourism crises such as the Seoul Halloween crowd crush. This study takes the Seoul Halloween crowd crush as an example and constructs a theoretical model based on information ecology theory. The relationships of variables in the model were analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results show that information transparency, subject authority, and social media interactivity positively influence an organic cognitive image. Social connection and social media interactivity positively influence this organic affective image. Finally, this study provides targeted recommendations for DMOs, which is important for the restoration of TDI after crises.

Make the Effort Visible: The Effect of Process Transparency on Public Forgiveness in Tourism Crisis Communication

Public forgiveness in tourism crisis communication is conducive to improving destination reputation, although this connection has been ignored. To fill this research gap, this study conducts three experiments to investigate the effect of process transparency on public forgiveness. The results of two experiments reveal that response messages with high (vs. low) process transparency are more likely to promote public forgiveness, and the effect of process transparency on public forgiveness is mediated by perceived effort. The results of Experiment 3 also show that narrative (vs. non-narrative) messages with high process transparency have a stronger impact on perceived effort and public forgiveness. However, for messages with low process transparency, the effect of process transparency does not vary by message type. This study expands the research framework of tourism crisis communication and provides a new research perspective on emotional recovery. It also provides managers with effective and low-cost tourism crisis communication strategies.

A social media analysis of quarantined passengers’ social-supported coping and resilience-building experiences

Cruise lines are adopting onboard quarantine as part of emergency response measures to the global pandemic. However, little is known about the social support embedded in the social-mediated communication process to assist passengers in coping and building resilience. Guided by the conservation of resource theory, this study adopted the netnography approach to analyze the online interactions between quarantined passengers on Diamond Princess and netizens. A qualitative approach was employed to analyze the content of a relational dataset consisting of 14 research subjects, 3,368 posts, and 67,964 comments. The results not merely showed the changing foci of the comments over time but also revealed the supporting role played by social media. The constant engagement with netizens provided passengers with information and social support, which contributed to their coping and resilience-building. These findings offer a new theoretical perspective on incorporating social media in tourism crisis management, as well as practical implications for cruise lines and tourism organizations to optimize their resource utilization for marketing recovery.

Quantitative evaluation of tourism crisis response policies: overview and lessons from China’s tourism epidemic response policies

ABSTRACT Governments and DMOs have enacted a number of policies to cope with the impacts of unpredictable disruptions, such as COVID-19, on recovering regional tourism industries. Retrospective analysis and scientific evaluation of the content, quality, and implementation efficacy of existing policies serve as an important reference for future policy formulation, modification, and improvement. This study utilized the PMC-AE index model to construct an evaluation model of the tourism epidemic response policy and then evaluated and compared China’s tourism policies at the national and provincial levels from the perspective of policy formulation. The results indicated that: First, China’s tourism epidemic response policy included four categories: epidemic prevention and control and follow-up supervision, relief support and recovery development, resumption of work and production, and consumption promotion. Second, most of the policies remain relatively high, and the scores at national and provincial levels decline from high to low, forming a ‘top-down’ pattern to cope with the epidemic’s impact effectively. Simultaneously, there were no significant differences between policy types and regions, but provincial policies were significantly more targeted than specialized policies. Lastly, some tourism epidemic response policies remained problematic, particularly concerning insufficient predictive content, a single target audience, the structural imbalance of incentive methods, and the lack of cooperation between the publishing parties. This study validated the reliability and efficacy of the PMC-AE policy evaluation system in tourism policy research and provided a reference for formulating future epidemic response policies.

Will you forgive it? The interactive effects of crisis news framing and crisis communication message framing on tourists’ forgiveness

ABSTRACT The different effects of crisis communication on different negative emotions induced by tourism crisis news remain under-explored. Drawing on the appraisal tendency framework, this study analyzes and verifies the interactive effects of anger-inducing news with rational crisis communication messages and anxiety-inducing news with humorous messages on tourists’ forgiveness. Furthermore, perceived sincerity mediates the former relationship and destination trust mediates the latter. Our study contributes to the existing research regarding the applicability of humorous crisis communication. The results provide theoretical insight into tourism crisis communication from the perspective of message framing selection and promot the reconstruction and governance of post-crisis destination reputation.

Crisis management within the social system theory retrospective and prospective analysis of COVID-19 crisis in tourism and hospitality

Crisis management within the social system theory retrospective and prospective analysis of COVID-19 crisis in tourism and hospitality

Far beyond Covid-19: The negative impacts of other tourism crisis in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul – Brazil

Crisis in tourism are sufficient of motivating adverse behaviors and situations, since concerns about the negative economic impacts generated are inevitable, and some destinations suffer concomitantly with other crisis. Therefore, the present study aims to present that the impacts of the climate crises in the years 2018 to 2021 in Corumbá have important practical implications for the tourist system of Mato Grosso do Sul. In order to answer the research question and achieve the proposed objective, this study presents a theoretical sampling, which addresses the main axes of this research, added to the climate/rainfall variable, which served to explain that an entire chain suffers from drought, in especially tourism, the region's main economic activity, which may continue to undergo further changes due to the rainy season. Furthermore, this study used the quantile statistical technique, adapted from Monteiro, Rocha and Zanella (2012) to analyze climatic factors and their interrelations with tourist activity, comparing with periods of higher incidence of fires in the Pantanal biome. As a result, a major negative impact was observed, with fires and long periods of drought in the Pantanal region that remain to this day, thus damaging navigation, fishing and the entire tourist system in the region. The relevance of this research is justified, considering the difficulty of updating data and discussing a developing topic. However, it is hoped to contribute to and facilitate an increasingly broader and necessary debate on the negative impacts of crises that go beyond Covid-19.

The Decline of a Tourist Destination and the Militarization of the Place, the Acapulco Case

The article examines the militarization observed in the tourist destination of Acapulco after the impact of Category 5 Hurricane Otis in October 2023. The phenomenon left in its wake desolation and destruction in most of the hotels and tourist services in the tourist area and the city, Since 2006 to date, the city has experienced the recurrence of drug violence generated by organized crime, generating violent deaths, the withdrawal of international tourism and a significant drop in its main indicators. In response to this crisis, the federal government has announced plans for the construction of barracks in different places in the city and specifically in emblematic tourist places such as the House of Culture, the Convention Center, the Papagayo Park of Acapulco and the Club of Golf located on its main tourist avenue. The research article aims to explore and analyze the current situation of Acapulco, exploring the challenges and analyzing the implications of militarization on the tourist destination and on the local economy and its iconic attractions. Through a qualitative approach methodology, it is intended to offer an exploratory vision of the current tourism crisis and formulate strategic recommendations to avoid further damage to the tourist image of the destination, the phenomenon of militarization of tourist destinations is unprecedented in Acapulco according to the literature search carried out.

Assessment of sustainable urban tourism practice in Kampoeng Jawi, Semarang City

Currently, urban tourism is significantly growing due to better accessibility, information, and facilities. Several urban kampoengs (urban villages in Indonesia which generally have inadequate infrastructure and low-to-middle-income communities) have developed into tourist destinations, with their own challenges and problems that must be overcome. Improper development and organization of tourism may harm the environment and cause other negative effects, and therefore, urban tourism must prioritize sustainable development that enhances the community's quality of life without harming the environment or culture. This study aims to assess and evaluate the implementation of the Sustainable urban tourism (SUT) concept in Kampoeng Jawi, Sukorejo Village, Semarang City. The research used a quantitative approach with descriptive and scoring analyses, and data was collected through observation, interviews, surveys and studies on various secondary data. The paper assesses the four dimensions of sustainability, namely the destination management, economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions. The results show that Kampoeng Jawi only meets about 54% of the SUT criteria, and its sustainability level is classified as Intermediate. Development must focus on enhancing eco-friendly infrastructure, providing long-term capacity-building programs, integrating tourism, and establishing tourism crisis management.