Decline In Tourism Research Articles

Territorial branding as a vector of identity and a lever for tourist attractiveness: the case of Larache

Faced with increased competition between tourist destinations, territories are feeling more than ever the need to revolutionize their practices. Nowadays, we are witnessing a growing use of territorial brands, a relatively recent concept whose first initiatives date back to the 1970s. In Morocco, territorial branding is still in its early stages, with the first brand being created in 2011 as part of a strategy launched by the Moroccan National Tourist Office to reposition Morocco on the international tourist scene. This study focuses on the city of Larache to explore the relationship between territorial branding, identity, and tourist attractiveness. This relationship is notably highlighted in the literature through the works of V. Golain and B. Mayronin. We consider our field of study highly appropriate to closely observe the validity of this link. Indeed, the decline in tourism that Larache has experienced has piqued our curiosity, leading us to reflect on the role of brand communication in promoting territories and strengthening their identity. We hypothesize that Larache suffers from an identity blur impacting its image as a tourist destination, primarily due to the absence of a branding strategy capable of consolidating its identity. In this context, a mixed-method approach was adopted. We administered a questionnaire with the objective of studying Larache's image and notoriety to assess its perception among potential tourists. This survey was supported by an analysis of social representations, with the main goal of exploring the representations associated with Larache's identity among two target groups: residents and potential tourists. Our results support our initial hypothesis and reveal a significant gap between the two representations, reflecting the identity blur from which Larache suffers. Based on these results, we define the identity profile of the territory in question to address the diagnosed identity deficit. Our study holds great importance for practitioners as it encourages them to rethink their tourism promotion practices and become aware of the crucial role that territorial branding can play in the tourism development of regions.

Socio-economic Impacts of Terrorism and Counter-terrorism on the Local People: A Case Study of Swat, Pakistan

Aim of the Study: This study attempts to explore the rise of terrorism in Swat, Pakistan, and the causes that gave rise to terrorism in the region and how the state responded to the terrorism. To understand this impact, the study examines the life of the local people of Swat in four phases, i.e., the Pre-Taliban Phase, the Taliban Phase, the Military Operations Phase, and the Post-Operations Phase. Methodology: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. The study primarily focused on Swat, Pakistan, the area badly affected by terrorism and counter-terrorism efforts. To gather the qualitative data on the impacts of terrorism and counter-terrorism, 5 focused group discussions were held and semi-structured interviews were conducted from 80 participants including community leaders, government officials, business owners and students. Findings: This study found that, according to 59% of participants, the Military Operations phase was the worst, while 41% considered the Taliban Phase the worst among the four phases. Considering the best phase among the four, 17% of participants voted for the Post-Operations Phase as the best, while 83% opted for the Pre-Taliban Phase as the best among the four phases. Conclusion: In summary, before the rise of terrorism, the Swat district was a peaceful and thriving region known for its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and tourism industry. However, the emergence of the TTP and subsequent insurgency drastically changed the landscape, leading to the decline in tourism, education, and overall security, impacting the social and economic lives of the local people. To counter the terrorism in the region, the government launched two major military operations, i.e., Operation Rah e Haq and Operation Rah e Rast. Although the military operations competed with the Taliban and evacuated the Taliban from the region and ended their rule, it impacted the local people even more than the Taliban rule. Because all the businesses were shut down, schools were closed, people became jobless, and most of the local people got displaced, which impacted the social and economic life of the local people.

Social Capital and Community Adaptation to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Empirical Evidence: Sambirejo Village, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

With the ever-increasing uncertainty of the impact of humans on the environment, the study of adaptive societal behavior has gained interest in seeking to actively limit disaster-related losses. Despite numerous studies on the role of social capital in Indonesian tourism, the extent to which community social capital adapts to social order changes due to events like the COVID-19 pandemic or earthquake shocks has not been thoroughly studied. This study explored the social capital of people in tourist village areas, specifically in Sambirejo Village, Indonesia, and how it supported collective action during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance community resilience and in turn succeed as a tourist village. Sambirejo Village has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a decline in tourism visits and income, highlighting the importance of social capital in fostering resilience. The research utilized a quantitative approach, collecting data through a questionnaire and analyzing descriptive statistical results. The model construct was then built and tested using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The SEM analysis revealed the crucial role of government and community initiatives in fostering community resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for well-placed policies to help communities increase their social capital and combat the pandemic effectively.

El Niño’s Implications for the Victoria Falls Resort and Tourism Economy in the Era of Climate Change

Scientists agree that as global temperatures rise, the intensity of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon also increases. In southern Africa, El Niño events often cause severe droughts that adversely affect a region’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, the impact of El Niño on the tourism industry in this area has not been studied sufficiently. This study examines how frequently El Niño events occur and their consequences on the Victoria Falls resort. It specifically focuses on the potential implications for the regional tourism economy during the 2023–2024 El Niño event. This study critically analyses potential strategies for tourism businesses to enhance their resilience in light of the increasing intensity of El Niño events in the region. Using the Niño 3.4 index, it has been determined that there have been at least four extreme El Niño events since 1980: 1983, 1998, and 2016, and most recently, in 2023/24. Analysis of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and hydrological data from the Victoria Falls hydrological station showed that El Niño events significantly affect water flows at Victoria Falls, negatively impacting the resort’s reputation and brand. Examination of tourism statistics reveals that drought often leads to a decline in tourism, negatively affecting tourist resort towns’ economies. Given the projected record-low water levels for late 2024, this study recommends implementing improved communication and marketing strategies that highlight low-water activities and other non-water-dependent tourism offerings at the resort to ensure the resilience of the tourism economy. There is an urgent need to promote resorts as year-round destinations to support the climate-resilient tourism sector.

Nam Nghi Resort in Phu Quoc

Learning outcomes This case study provides in-depth, practical knowledge to develop business strategies for the management program. After reading this case study, the students will be able to learn about the challenges and problems that service firms face during a crisis, the drastic changes in the market environment due to a crisis and the analysis tools that can be used when analyzing the shifted market environment. By analyzing this case study, students will be trained for the decision-making that arises in the process of crisis management in the hotel industry. Case overview/synopsis Nam Nghi Resort, situated on the picturesque Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, experienced the tumultuous period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, Nam Nghi was a thriving five-star resort, deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture and renowned for its luxurious amenities and breathtaking location. However, the onset of COVID-19 brought unprecedented challenges to the hospitality industry, leading to a sharp decline in tourism and revenue. Despite the adversity, Nam Nghi implemented risk management practices successfully and displayed resilience and adaptability. Through rigorous cost minimization, strategic facility upgrades and targeted marketing efforts, Nam Nghi managed to navigate the crisis and gradually rebuild its business as travel restrictions eased. As the industry began to show signs of recovery, the general manager faced new challenges in restoring the resort’s prepandemic vitality. The challenge remained of understanding changing consumer values and market dynamics. Complexity academic level This case study can be used as class material for Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. In particular, MBA students in the hospitality industry such as hotels, resorts, travel agencies and restaurants are the target audience. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 12: Tourism and hospitality.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Recovery and Resilience of the Hospitality and Tourism Industry in Southeast Asia

Purpose: The study sought to analyze the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the recovery and resilience of the hospitality and tourism industry.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic devastated Southeast Asia's hospitality and tourism sector, leading to a sharp decline in tourism, economic hardship, and widespread job losses. Businesses adapted by focusing on domestic travel, implementing health protocols, and embracing digitalization. Resilience and innovation were evident, with businesses diversifying offerings and governments providing financial support. Recovery hinges on rebuilding consumer confidence, stimulating demand, and fostering long-term resilience.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Resource-Based View (RBV), Institutional theory & Dynamic capabilities theory may be used to anchor future studies in the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the recovery and resilience of the hospitality and tourism industry. Encourage hospitality and tourism businesses to prioritize resilience-building initiatives as part of their strategic planning processes. Advocate for supportive policy frameworks at the national and international levels that prioritize the recovery and resilience of the hospitality and tourism industry.

Travel Industry After COVID-19 and Sanctions

The article analyzes the declining outbound tourism from Russia in 2022 and 2023 and its effects on the states which introduced sanctions. First it reviews the data on the inbound and outbound tourism, then studies the impact of COVID-19 and sanctions on the tourism industry, the consequences of tourism decline on related industries and services including aviation, food, and accommodation. Finally, the article considers alternative destination places for Russian tourists including the expansion of internal tourism and policies favoring it to replace outbound destinations.

Thirty Years of Climate and Land-Cover Change and its Effects on Tourism Resources in Valley of Flower National Park

This study investigates how the physical and scenic components of trekking in Vally of Flower National Park are affected by observed variations in rainfall, temperature, and land cover. The impact analysis is structured on a hazard-activity pairs method, which combines factors of environmental change (such as greater temperatures) with tourism activities (like trekking and sightseeing). The findings imply that warmer temperatures and less rain have decreased the chances of landslides, rock falls, and mountain sickness, and also enhanced the physical conditions for trekking. It is now possible to enjoy more flowers and greenery while witnessing fewer animals, waterfalls, and snow due to changes in land cover. In the short term, the melting snow may encourage “last chance tourism,” boosting travel, but over time, the disappearance of the snow and the destruction of the forest will probably lead to a decline in tourism. The research concludes that the most viable strategy for reducing losses is the efficient management of the attractions in the developing heathlands.

Pre- and post-pandemic risk perceptions and worries.

The present study is a cross-sectional investigation of worry and risk perceptions regarding various hazards and destinations, measured before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaire data were collected from tourists in Norway during the summer seasons of 2012 (N = 2,669), 2019 (N = 1,666), and 2022 (N = 956), and from a representative sample of Norwegians in 2020 (N = 1,003). The results show a general decline in the level of worry and risk perceptions post-pandemic compared to those pre-pandemic, with the exception of infectious diseases, whose perceived risk slightly increased in 2022. The results highlight the importance of employing cross-sectional or longitudinal data to investigate changes in risk perceptions over time. The findings also indicate that pessimistic predictions of a continued decline in tourism appear to be unwarranted.

Countermeasures of Hotel Industry for Tourism Crisis Management Under the Influence of Epidemic Situation

On a global scale, the epidemic has had a great impact on tourism, and the hotel industry, as a key component of tourism, has also been seriously affected. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of the epidemic on the hotel industry and put forward coping strategies to help the hotel industry effectively cope with the tourism crisis. First of all, the epidemic has led to a sharp decline in tourism, a sharp drop in the occupancy rate of the hotel industry and a sharp drop in income. In order to meet this challenge, the hotel industry needs to adopt the strategy of diversified income sources and reduce its dependence on the traditional tourism market. Secondly, the hotel industry should formulate more flexible cancellation policies to meet customer needs. Third, the hotel industry should strengthen cleaning and hygiene measures to ensure the health and safety of customers when they check in. This includes regular disinfection of guest rooms and public areas, provision of hand sanitizer, masks and other sanitary products. A transparent cleaning policy can improve the trust of customers. In addition, digital technology plays a key role in crisis management. Finally, staff training is the key link to deal with the crisis. This paper studies the coping strategies of crisis management in the hotel industry under the influence of epidemic situation, which is helpful for the hotel industry to tide over the crisis, maintain business sustainability and prepare for future uncertainty.

How Did Tour Guide Survive during the Covid-19 Pandemic? A Study on The Roles of Self-Efficacy and Organizational Commitment among Tour Guides in Bali

Tour guides are a fundamental part of the tourism industry, which has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tour guides are expected to find alternatives to survive because of fluctuations over 50% decline in tourism. The pre-pandemic and post pandemic times have significantly impacted the employment of tour guides including those in Bali. In this disruption period, how did tour guide manage to survive? This quantitative research aims to understand the survival mechanism of tour guides by examining whether self-efficacy has a relationship with the organizational commitment of active tour guides in a travel agency in Bali, especially when mediated by job satisfaction. This research uses Structural Equation Model Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) technique to analyze the research problem. The population in this study were active tour guides in a travel agency in Bali. The sampling technique uses a saturated sample. Direct hypothesis analysis found that: (1) Self-efficacy has a significant positive relationship to organizational commitment. (2) Self-efficacy has a significant positive relationship to job satisfaction. (3) Job satisfaction has a significant positive relationship to organizational commitment. Indirect hypothesis analysis found (4) Self-efficacy and organizational commitment have a significant positive relationship mediated by job satisfaction. Age and gender as control variables have no relationship to organizational commitment. It can be concluded that self-efficacy and organizational commitment can help tour guides to survive in challenging period.

Cultural Tourism After (COVID)-19: First Findings from Czechia

This article presents and discusses the visible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cultural tourism in Czechia, Europe. The pandemic has caused or accelerated certain changes. Mainly urban destinations focusing on foreign tourists (e.g., Prague) were affected by the pandemic. However, despite the significant decline in tourism as an industry, the seeds of positive changes can be traced. For example, domestic tourists have discovered the appeal of the rural regions of their homeland. The trend has started to evolve from mass tourism to a more individual one. The decline of the workforce in tourism will likely result in the increase of more self-service forms of activities. Even though e-tourism cannot replace real experiences, it will contribute to a more deliberate selection of tourist destinations and services. Therefore, investing in a higher quality infrastructure should be a priority. The latest observations show that the main obstacle is insufficient cooperation among local stakeholders, such as entrepreneurs, public administration, or individual government departments. Czechia???s fundamental drawback is the lack of clear distinction of whether culture tourism falls into the economic sector or the cultural sphere.

The illusion of water justice at the expense of tourism

ABSTRACT Water justice, defined as water distribution based on political agendas that prioritize certain regions in the reorganization of water resources, has become a critical issue in many regions around the world. Iran's hydraulic mission exemplifies how dam construction and inter-basin water transfer primarily benefit high-water-demand sectors. Against this backdrop and drawing on available data and a review of literature, this research demonstrates that despite tourism accounting for a small portion of Iran's overall water usage, the Iranian perception of water justice undermines tourism by harming its physical components including waterscapes, historical relics, traditional crafts, and urban ecology. This research concludes that the decline of tourism exacerbates social inequality and unsustainability, necessitating a reconsideration of Iran's approach to water allocation in favour of a more sustainable and inclusive tourism sector.

From overtourism to no-tourism – costs and benefits of extreme volume of tourism traffic as perceived by inhabitants of two Polish destinations

Overtourism might be one of the most characteristic trends and phenomena of tourism in the 2010s. However, after a rapid transformation caused by overtourism, an even faster and more unexpected change appeared in 2020: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism temporarily disappeared from cities and other destinations worldwide. These two opposite and extreme phenomena were so close in time that they can be compared and their perception by different tourism stakeholders can be analyzed. Host communities were often major victims of overtourism, which led to the development of anti-tourism attitudes in many destinations. However, many inhabitants were also severely affected by the recent decline in tourism, as plenty of them depended economically on tourist arrivals and tourism revenues. This research is conducted for two of the most important destinations in Poland: Kraków and Białka Tatrzańska. The study aims to compare how the transformations to and from overtourism are perceived by inhabitants of these two typical and important tourism destinations. The results show that the impact of tourism was not perceived as crucial by the residents of either destination and that this remains true for both overtourism and no-tourism. However, the economic importance of tourism was strongly emphasized. Additionally, the indicated impact of tourism on their lives and their destination was much stronger for the residents of Białka Tatrzańska than those of Kraków.

The Economic and Developmental Impacts of Tourism in Petra

Objectives: This study aims to apply the shift-share analysis method to evaluate the economic impact of tourism in Petra between 2007 and 2017, including employment changes across the study area.
 Methods: The shift-share model is designed to assess the growth of individual industries at the local level compared to the national level. This method demonstrates employment growth rates in the Petra region resulting from a favorable industry mix and additional job creation. The data used in this study were obtained from multiple governmental and private sources through structured and non-structured interviews. A questionnaire was developed to collect data on the personnel working at the businesses, the star ranking of the businesses, and the types of services provided in both 2007 and 2017.
 Results: The results indicate growth in most tourism-related industries, as well as public administration and education possibly due to a population increase in the region.
 Conclusions: Based on the results, we can conclude that the decline in tourism between 2007 and 2017 led to a slowdown in growth in other sectors, despite the presence of modest growth in those sectors due to natural economic expansion.

Examining the role of tourism industry in green economic and environmental performance: does structural change matter in Asia?

Tourism has become an increasingly significant contributor to economic growth in Asia. However, the rapid expansion of the tourism industry has also raised concerns about its impact on the environment and economic sustainability. Meanwhile, the structural transformation of economies in Asia has also been a major factor in shaping the region's environmental and economic performance. Thus, the present study aims to explore the impact of the tourism industry and structural change on green economic and environmental performance in Asia. Limited empirical evidence exists on the impact of tourism industry and structural change on CO2 emissions and green growth. The objective of this current study is to examine how tourism industry and structural change impact green economic and environmental performance over the period 1993 to 2020. For analyzing short- and long-run results across different quantiles, we have employed a nonlinear QARDL model that can provide estimates across different quantiles. The findings of the CO2 emissions model imply that long-term improvements in tourism and structural changes significantly reduce CO2 emissions. In contrast, the long-term negative changes in tourism and structural changes increase CO2 emissions. In the green growth model, long-term improvements in tourism and structural changes significantly improve green growth; however, the long-term decline in tourism and structural changes significantly reduce green growth. Moreover, the control variable of ICT reduces CO2 emissions and improves green growth, and energy consumption increases CO2 emissions and reduces green growth.

Impact of COVID-19 on Philippines Tourism Industry: Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Implications

COVID-19 has harmed lives and businesses locally, regionally, and globally, saying worldwide. Before the pandemic, tourism supported the Philippines' unstoppable economic growth. The pandemic slowed it. COVID-19 adversely affected the tourist industry by lowering Global Domestic Product (GDP) and other key macroeconomic and microeconomic indicators. In other words, tourism's decline affected macroeconomics and microeconomics indicators. Covid-19's impact on the tourism sector increased unemployment rate, poverty, household vulnerability due to income loss, and job losses in transportation, travel agencies, tour guides, accommodation, food supply, and other sectors. In short, the fall of the tourism industry affected the economy as a whole, especially in countries like the Philippines that rely on it.

Artisanal trawl fisheries as a sentinel of marine litter pollution

Systematic seafloor surveys are a highly desirable method of marine litter monitoring, but the high costs involved in seafloor sampling are not a trivial handicap. In the present work, we explore the opportunity provided by the artisanal trawling fisheries to obtain systematic data on marine litter in the Gulf of Cadiz between 2019 and 2021. We find that plastic was the most frequent material, with a prevalence of single-use and fishing-related items. Litter densities decreased with increasing distance to shore with a seasonal migration of the main litter hotspots. During pre-lockdown and post-lockdown stages derived from COVID-19, marine litter density decreased by 65 %, likely related to the decline in tourism and outdoor recreational activities. A continuous collaboration of 33 % of the local fleet would imply a removal of hundreds of thousands of items each year. The artisanal trawl fishing sector can play a unique role of monitoring marine litter on the seabed.

COVID-19 impact on tourism inflow in selected Asia-Pacific countries: a gravity model framework

PurposeThe main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism flows of eight Asia-Pacific Countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.Design/methodology/approachUsing monthly data from 2019M1 to 2021M10 and 48 origin and eight destination countries in a panel Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimation technique and gravity equation framework, this paper finds that after controlling for gravity determinants, COVID-19 periods have a 0.689% lower tourism inflow than in non-COVID-19 periods. The total observations in this paper are 12,138.FindingsA 1% increase in COVID-19 transmission in the origin country leads to a 0.037% decline in tourism flow in the destination country, while the reduction is just 0.011% from the destination. On the mortality side, the corresponding decline in tourism flows from origin countries is 0.030%, whereas it is 0.038% from destination countries. A 1% increase in vaccine intensity in the destination country leads to a 0.10% improvement in tourism flows, whereas vaccinations at the source have no statistically significant effect. The results are also robust at a 1% level in a pooled OLS and random-effects specification for the same model.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide insights into managing tourism flows concerning transmission, death and vaccination coverage in destination and origin countries.Practical implicationsThe COVID-19-induced tourism decline may also be considered another channel through which the global recession has been aggravated. If we convert this decline in terms of loss of GDP, the global figure will be huge, and airline industries will have to cut down many service products for a long time to recover from the COVID-19-induced tourism decline.Social implicationsIt is to be realized by the policymaker and politicians that infectious diseases have no national boundary, and the problem is not local or national. That’s why it is to be faced globally with cooperation from all the countries.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to address tourism disruption due to COVID-19 in eight Asia-Pacific countries using a gravity model framework.HighlightsAsia-Pacific countries are traditionally globalized through tourism channelsThis pattern was severely affected by COVID-19 transmission and mortality and improved through vaccinationThe gravity model can be used to quantify the loss in the tourism sector due to COVID-19 shocksTransmission and mortality should be controlled both at the origin and the destination countriesVaccinations in destination countries significantly raise tourism flows

Impact of Covid-19 on Tourism: Evidence from SAM Assessments of Hungary and Turkey

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, international mobility was largely restricted, which led to severe declines in tourism activities. This paper estimates the economic impacts of this decline in Turkey and Hungary, using social accounting matrix modeling. The authors constructed social accounting matrices separately and estimated the macroeconomic impact of the decline. The results reveal that the decline in international tourism revenues reduced GDP by 2.6% in Turkey and 5.9% in Hungary, with 0.9% and 2.0% loss of employment in Turkey and Hungary, respectively. These figures are much larger compared to the economic gains from the fiscal rescue packages.