Travel Bans Research Articles

Investigating the resilience and challenges of informal street traders in South Africa's tourism sector: a focus on migrant entrepreneurship

ABSTRACT Selling products and services to tourists is often the main or sole source of income for local and migrant informal traders participating in the tourism sector in developing countries. However, they are vulnerable to exogenous shocks, with the COVID-19 pandemic a recent example. During COVID-19, international travel and domestic movement bans affected the livelihoods of many local and migrant informal traders, with the absence of government support exacerbating the plight of migrant traders in particular. This study provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by informal traders in three of South Africa’s main tourist cities against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a concurrent mixed-methods approach, the study explores how migrant and non-migrant entrepreneurs navigated the crisis. This research not only highlights the critical role of resilience and other survival strategies for especially migrant traders but also offers practical implications for the recognition of their resilience and the contribution of both local and migrant traders to job creation withing the realms of the informal tourism sector. This study extends resilience theory by applying it within the socio-economic context of the tourism sector of an important migration destination on the African continent.

Bordering: Australia’s Policy to Border During COVID-19

Why did Australia border earlier than most other states in response to the outbreak of COVID-19? Between mid-January and March 2020, the Australian government adopted increasingly restrictive travel bans that led to the country closing its borders to all non-residents, adopting mandatory hotel quarantines for 14 days and a travel ban on Australians travelling overseas. These actions were in contravention of the World Health Organization advice to states on travel restrictions. Australia’s border closure was one of the strictest and, ultimately, longest in the world. In this article, we complement existing explanations on bordering that include critical border studies, securitization and bio/necropolitics with theoretical approaches from public policy literature to examine the domestic conditions that inform border closure policies and practices. We demonstrate that the decision to border, in this case, was not a rejection of World Health Organization advice but a turn towards the domestic pull factors – including domestic expert advice – to border.

Exploring key determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among individuals: An exploratory study globally.

SARS-CoV-2 virus gave rise to COVID-19 in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and it quickly spread over the world to become a pandemic. The virus, which is mostly carried by respiratory droplets, spread at an unprecedented rate, causing a large number of deaths and extensive illness, necessitating lockdowns, travel bans, and social distancing policies by governments across the globe in an attempt to stop the spread, which severely disrupted daily life, the healthcare system, and economies.COVID-19 vaccines are biological materials designed to offer protection against the organism that causes the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 virus, played a crucial role in stopping the virus's spread and lowering the burden on healthcare systems around the globe. Although Covid-19 vaccines offers benefits which includes the prevention of severe illness and death through the reduction of the chance of COVID-19-related serious illness, hospital stays, and death, it was met with hesitancy by some population on the basis of a complex web of interrelated causes, such as political division, misinformation, socioeconomic inequities, and past mistrust of healthcare systems.Vaccine hesitancy contributed to lower-than-expected vaccination coverage in many regions, preventing the achievement of herd immunity and allowing the virus to continue spreading. Exploring this key determinants of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy among individuals all over the world and possible solutions, is the focus of this research.

The response of labour demand to different COVID-19 containment measures: evidence from online job postings in Austria

This paper analyses changes in the speed of labour demand for new hires in response to the lockdowns that were repeatedly put in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. It tests whether the uncertainty-reducing effect of similar lockdowns occurring in quick succession increased the responsiveness of the labour market, thereby allowing for more rapid adjustment, both at the beginning and at the end of subsequent lockdowns. It uses high-frequency online job-posting data and applies an event study approach to the beginning of three national lockdowns and the subsequent reopening in Austria between 2020 and 2022. In view of the importance of progress in vaccination for labour market recovery, it also looks at vaccine roll-out as an additional COVID-19 containment measure, with 2021 as the main roll-out period. The results indicate very different responses to the three lockdowns, with a decline in job-posting activity of between 47 and 50% during the first lockdown and of between 29 and 31% during the second; but an increase of 23% to 28% during the last lockdown. Moreover, responses to the first lockdown were sluggish, with a slow decline at the beginning and a very slow recovery after it was lifted; but over subsequent lockdowns the responses were more rapid and more symmetrical. Responses to the various events differed by occupation and industry: the strongest responses were to be observed in the highly skilled and more-teleworkable occupations of technicians, and managers and professionals, who were badly affected during the first lockdown; the leisure and hospitality industry, which was the hardest hit on account of the mandatory closures and the widespread travel restrictions and bans, and which recovered only very slowly; and the IT, internet and telecommunications industry, where posting activity developed in a direction opposite to that seen in the other industries. Finally, there is little robust evidence of a differentiated effect of vaccinations during lockdowns, suggesting that vaccination roll-out did not have an additional demand-generating effect, over and above the lockdowns.

(De)Constructing the Disruption: Enacted Sensemaking and Sensegiving in Institutionally Plural Fields

Abstract If an event happens in the woods, and nobody responds to it, is it a disruption? In this paper, we address a gap in the organizational sociology literature about how events are constructed as “institutional disruptions” in institutionally plural fields. We integrate the disconnected literatures of sensemaking/sensegiving and institutional pluralism to argue that institutional disruptions in institutionally plural fields are not coterminous with exogenous events, but rather are the result of a process of fieldwide sensemaking and sensegiving mediated by intermediary organizations. We use the American higher education community’s response to the Trump administration’s 2017 ‘travel ban’ as a paradigmatic example that illuminates these dynamics with some clarity. In particular, we illuminate the relationships between conditions of institutional pluralism, extra-field events, the social construction of meaning within fields, the role of intermediary organizations, and the nature of organizational actions in response. Emerging from our theoretical exploration, we offer implications and avenues for future research for organizational sociologists. Collectively, our theorizing opens the door for scholars to re-examine previously taken-for-granted assumptions about disruptions and better theorize the earliest moments of institutional change.

Coral reef fish density at a tourist destination responded rapidly to COVID-19 restrictions.

Throughout the world, anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems is intensifying, notably through urbanisation, economic development, and tourism. Coral reefs have become exposed to stressors related to tourism. To reveal the impact of human activities on fish communities, we used COVID-19-related social restrictions in 2021. In French Polynesia, from February to December 2021, there was a series of restrictions on local activities and international tourism. We assessed the response of fish populations in terms of changes in the species richness and density of fish in the lagoon of Bora-Bora (French Polynesia). We selected sites with varying human pressures-some dedicated to tourism activities, others affected by boat traffic, and control sites with little human presence. Underwater visual surveys demonstrated that fish density and richness differed spatially and temporally. They were lowest on sites affected by boat traffic regardless of pandemic-related restrictions, and when activities were authorised; they were highest during lockdowns. Adult fish density increased threefold on sites usually affected by boat traffic during lockdowns and increased 2.7-fold on eco-tourism sites during international travel bans. Human activities are major drivers of fish density and species richness spatially across the lagoon of Bora-Bora but also temporally across pandemic-related restrictions, with dynamic responses to different restrictions. These results highlight the opportunity provided by pauses in human activities to assess their impact on the environment and confirm the need for sustainable lagoon management in Bora-Bora and similar coral reef settings affected by tourism and boat traffic.

A comparative analysis of COVID-19 physical distancing policies in South Africa and Uganda.

COVID-19 responses internationally have depended on physical distancing policies to manage virus transmission, given the initial absence of treatments and limitations on vaccine availability. Different jurisdictions have different contexts affecting their responses such as past epidemic experience, ratings of epidemic preparedness, and income level. COVID-19 responses in African countries have not been well-studied. A qualitative multiple embedded case study design was used to examine the COVID-19 policies in South Africa and Uganda from January 2020 to November 2021. This study included a documentary review using government websites and reports, news articles, and peer-reviewed journal articles to obtain data on policy responses and contextual factors. Epidemiological data were collected from public sources. Key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders were used to confirm findings and cover missing information. A comparative analysis was conducted to explore differences in implementation of different types of physical distancing policies and potential consequences of lifting or prolonging public health measures. South African and Ugandan policy responses included physical distancing measures such as lockdown, international travel bans, school closures, public transportation measures, and curfew, in addition to socioeconomic relief programs and vaccinations. Differences between jurisdiction policy responses existed in terms of overarching strategy, timing, and stringency. This study provided in-depth comparisons of COVID-19 policy responses and relevant contextual factors in South Africa and Uganda. The study showed how contextual factors such as population age, geographic distribution, and recent epidemic response experience can influence COVID-19 transmission and response. The study also showed differences in overall strategy, timing, and strictness of epidemic management policies in these jurisdictions. These findings suggest it may be important to have sustained, strict measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and manage the course of a pandemic, which need to be further explored alongside other important social and economic pandemic outcomes.

Crisis Management and Sustainability in Tourism Industry: Obstacles and Recovery Strategies after the COVID-19 Crisis in Antalya, Türkiye

This study aims to examine how tourism enterprises can ensure their sustainability and elude the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis via recovery strategies through semi-structured in-depth interviews, focusing on the tourism industry in Antalya, the first and most important destination in Türkiye, in terms of arrivals and nights spent. According to the findings, travel bans and quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on Antalya’s tourism sector. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of personnel in tourism industry, a persisting problem. In managing this crisis, businesses and the state have attempted various recovery strategies. Despite a recovery period since 2021, vulnerabilities in the national economy and increasing inflation rates since COVID-19 have triggered input and living costs. Furthermore, the Ukraine War has adversely affected the sustainability of tourism activities in Antalya. Moreover, due to new regulations regarding retirement in 2023, some middle-level managers in tourism sector have retired, leading to predictions of a potential crisis in upper-level management in the future. According to the study results, cooperation in tourism sector, public–private–university collaboration, and government support play significant roles in achieving full recovery from the crisis and ensuring sustainability in tourism sector activities. The study may contribute to the literature and help industry representatives and policymakers in terms of sustainability in tourism and crisis management recovery strategies.

Retorsion: An Underrated Retaliatory Measure Against Malign Cyber Operations

Abstract The articles discusses the application of the concept of retorsion in relation to defensive measures against hostile cyber operations. Retorsion is a concept not regulated by international law, which gives the victim state a high degree of flexibility in its use. However, its limits are formed by the rules of international law (retorsion is an unfriendly act not prohibited by international law). The paper is divided into three main parts. The first part discusses the concept of retorsion in general terms and its relation to cyber operations, the second part defines the relationship between retorsion, countermeasures, plea of necessity and the right of self-defence, and the third part consists of in-depth analysis of states’ practice. The analysis of states’ practices includes both the actual measures that states have taken in response to cyber operations (e.g. expulsion of diplomats, economic sanctions, travel bans) and official statements on the issue that have been published, particularly in the period 2019–2022. Attention is also paid to the possibilities of using retorsion against cyber operations carried out by non-state actors.

Making sense of politics: how affective dispositions and everyday experiences connect young people with the political

ABSTRACT This study aims to understand the cognitive, affective and socially situated processes through which young people make sense of politics. We ask (1) how young people construct understandings of political issues, and (2) when these understandings facilitate their orientation to and connection with political issues. To answer these questions, we conducted 4 × 4 focus groups with groups of 15–30-year-old Dutch people, each time focusing on a, then current, political issue: the Syrian Civil War, the (so-called) US Muslim travel ban, the 2017 Dutch general election, and the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. Our analysis of the group discussions shows that young people make sense of and become emotionally involved in political issues through: (a) feelings of indignation that link a political issue with one’s personal values, (b) media-facilitated affective orientations towards political actors that function as representations of a political issue, and (c) the connection of a political issue with meaningful social contexts and experiences. Our findings add to extant scholarly work on political learning by shedding light on the affective, situated and social processes through which political understandings and orientations are formed in young people.

When women left their patrie: transborder mobility, women’s sexual agency, and moral panic in Turkey

ABSTRACT The labor exchange agreements signed between Turkey and several European countries in the 1960s resulted in a large population move to Europe. While the majority of workers were men, the share of women had increased over the years. Initially overlooked, women’s transborder mobility came under public scrutiny from the mid-1960s onwards. Migration scholarship has demonstrated that sending states may impose restrictive policies on women’s transborder mobility to regulate their sexuality. However, this research often relies on a binary model (travel bans/no bans) where attention is paid mostly to cases in the former group. Under the rubric of moral panic, this paper offers an analytical framework to explore how control over women’s sexuality can be maintained in contexts where no travel bans are adopted. Drawing on archival research, this study reveals that women’s mobility triggered a moral panic in Turkey, prompting various political demands for prohibitive policies, which were met with state reluctance. Still, the disciplinary control over women’s sexuality was maintained through a transnational network of ethno-national kin, spontaneous and independent of any state authority. While it was not designed to fill any power vacuum, the network effectively exercised disciplinary control over numerous Turkish women, employing discursive and punitive practices.

A Pandemic's grip: Volatility spillovers in Asia-Pacific equity markets during the onset of Covid-19

The emergence of Covid-19 in late 2019 rapidly shattered the Asia-Pacific region (APR), a bastion of economic dynamism, and it became the epicenter of the global health crisis. This unprecedented pandemic not only triggered a public health catastrophe but also unleashed a financial storm, exposing vulnerability within the region's interconnected economies. This study identifies the factors driving volatility spillovers within Asian-Pacific financial markets during the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (January 2020–February 2021). We analyze the interplay of pandemic transmission dynamics, government interventions, central bank policies, and socioeconomic variables. Our findings reveal a robust and persistent association between the rising number of Covid-19 cases per million and volatility spillovers. We introduce three novel determinants—the number of intensive care unit beds, population density, and the proportion of the elderly population—which significantly impact volatility transmission in response to new cases. Stringent government measures, such as travel bans and lockdowns, mitigate volatility spillovers. Conversely, central bank policies increase volatility spillovers. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of financial market dynamics in the context of global health emergencies. This knowledge equips policy makers in the APR with valuable tools for navigating future crises.

ADAPTING THE MARKETING MIX: ANALYSIS OF INDIAN COMPANIES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 FOR CUSTOMER RETENTION

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has touched the lives of countless individuals. As of September 2020, the World Health Organization (2020a) reported about 29 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with over 900,000 fatalities. Quickly spreading from its January origin in China, the virus reached neighbouring nations. The United States has more than 6 million infected people, making it the country with the highest number of confirmed cases. Because the virus can spread so quickly from person to person, several countries have put travel bans, non-essential company halts, and stay-at-home orders into effect. The epidemic's detrimental impact on the economy is unrelated to people's health. According to Cantore, Hartwich, Lavopa, Haverkamp, Laplane, and Rodousakis (2020), a lot of countries are experiencing a recession irrespective of how much of an impact COVID-19 had on their income. Many people have made rapid lifestyle changes in response to this health crisis. Supply chain management, resource allocation, and marketing are just a few areas where many businesses struggle when attempting to alter their standard operating procedures. A company's marketing strategy needs to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of its target market if it wants to minimize losses and maximize gains. Studying the effects of a pandemic on the economy and the ways in which marketing tactics have evolved is essential.

ADAPTING THE MARKETING MIX: ANALYSIS OF INDIAN COMPANIES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 FOR CUSTOMER RETENTION

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has touched the lives of countless individuals. As of September 2020, the World Health Organization (2020a) reported about 29 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with over 900,000 fatalities. Quickly spreading from its January origin in China, the virus reached neighbouring nations. The United States has more than 6 million infected people, making it the country with the highest number of confirmed cases. Because the virus can spread so quickly from person to person, several countries have put travel bans, non-essential company halts, and stay-at-home orders into effect. The epidemic's detrimental impact on the economy is unrelated to people's health. According to Cantore, Hartwich, Lavopa, Haverkamp, Laplane, and Rodousakis (2020), a lot of countries are experiencing a recession irrespective of how much of an impact COVID-19 had on their income. Many people have made rapid lifestyle changes in response to this health crisis. Supply chain management, resource allocation, and marketing are just a few areas where many businesses struggle when attempting to alter their standard operating procedures. A company's marketing strategy needs to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of its target market if it wants to minimize losses and maximize gains. Studying the effects of a pandemic on the economy and the ways in which marketing tactics have evolved is essential.

Beyond the Pandemic: Unraveling the Social and Behavioral Changes in Post-COVID-19

COVID-19 has unexpectedly thwarted and disrupted myriads of sectors including the socio-cultural and economic aspects. As a result, it has tremendously forced billions of people to live and conform themselves to the existing health protocols during the new normal era. This paper aims to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on cultural and behavioral changes observed among residents in Surabaya. Critical review methods are used to undertake to the study. It is acknowledged that COVID-19 has drastically changed the way people live. Also, findings revealed that cultural and behavioral changes among the citizens helps the local government to contain the spread of the virus. This study concludes that the local community has played an important role in tackling the spread of virus due to their changing behavior ability including following health protocol, travel ban, participation in the vaccination scheme, and practicing a healthier lifestyle. This paper provides additional knowledge of the local community’s behavior and cultural role in managing a pandemic like COVID-19.

Effect of Long-Distance Domestic Travel Ban Policies in Japan on COVID-19 Outbreak Dynamics During Dominance of the Ancestral Strain: Ex Post Facto Retrospective Observation Study

Background In Japan, long-distance domestic travel was banned while the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain was dominant under the first declared state of emergency from March 2020 until the end of May 2020. Subsequently, the “Go To Travel” campaign travel subsidy policy was activated, allowing long-distance domestic travel, until the second state of emergency as of January 7, 2021. The effects of this long-distance domestic travel ban on SARS-CoV-2 infectivity have not been adequately evaluated. Objective We evaluated the effects of the long-distance domestic travel ban in Japan on SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, considering climate conditions, mobility, and countermeasures such as the “Go To Travel” campaign and emergency status. Methods We calculated the effective reproduction number R(t), representing infectivity, using the epidemic curve in Kagoshima prefecture based on the empirical distribution of the incubation period and procedurally delayed reporting from an earlier study. Kagoshima prefecture, in southern Japan, has several resorts, with an airport commonly used for transportation to Tokyo or Osaka. We regressed R(t) on the number of long-distance domestic travelers (based on the number of airport limousine bus users provided by the operating company), temperature, humidity, mobility, and countermeasures such as state of emergency declarations and the “Go To Travel” campaign in Kagoshima. The study period was June 20, 2020, through February 2021, before variant strains became dominant. A second state of emergency was not declared in Kagoshima prefecture but was declared in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Results Estimation results indicated a pattern of declining infectivity with reduced long-distance domestic travel volumes as measured by the number of airport limousine bus users. Moreover, infectivity was lower during the “Go To Travel” campaign and the second state of emergency. Regarding mobility, going to restaurants, shopping malls, and amusement venues was associated with increased infectivity. However, going to grocery stores and pharmacies was associated with decreased infectivity. Climate conditions showed no significant association with infectivity patterns. Conclusions The results of this retrospective analysis suggest that the volume of long-distance domestic travel might reduce SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Infectivity was lower during the “Go To Travel” campaign period, during which long-distance domestic travel was promoted, compared to that outside this campaign period. These findings suggest that policies banning long-distance domestic travel had little legitimacy or rationale. Long-distance domestic travel with appropriate infection control measures might not increase SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in tourist areas. Even though this analysis was performed much later than the study period, if we had performed this study focusing on the period of April or May 2021, it would likely yield the same results. These findings might be helpful for government decision-making in considering restarting a “Go To Travel” campaign in light of evidence-based policy.

Tourism, War, and Media: The Russia-Ukraine War Narrative

Underpinned by framing theory, this study examines how the mainstream news media constructs the war and tourism narratives. Using frame analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), this paper systematically unpacks the intertwined relationship between war and tourism in constructing its narratives during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Three main frames were identified, including “impact,” “response” and “status,” which encompass eight specific issues. Results of Qualitative Comparative Analysis show that there are three influential narrative patterns associated with negative emotional frames: dashed hopes in tourism destinations, debates over travel bans versus human rights principles, and pessimism and uncertainty in the tourism industry. This research advances tourism literature by providing a new interpretative and analytical lens to the intricate interplay between war and tourism, serving as an important reference for future frame analysis research in tourism.

Article: Collateral Damage Through Sanctions: The Role of ISDS for Third Party Investors Impacted by EU Sanctions Against Russia

The EU is considered the most active international organization in terms of sanctions. Since the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 alone, the EU has enacted twelve sanction packages targeting the economies of Russia and Belarus in specific sectors and established a list of over 1900 (As of January 2024, see https://eu-solidarity-ukraine.ec.europa.eu/eu-sanctions-against-russia-following-invasion-ukraine/sanctions-against-individuals-compa nies-and-organisations_en.) individuals and companies subject to assets freezes and travel bans. While those sanctions are targeted and specific, they nevertheless have an effect outside of Russia, due to their vast impact on important economic sectors, import and export and commodity pricing. To put it bluntly, it is virtually impossible to prevent a spillover effect beyond the Russian borders in times of a globalized, interconnected economic reality. The current sanction regime is not only widely impactful, but also a legal curiosity. EU sanctions are not ordinary countermeasures under public international law. They are coordinated acts by a group of States replying to the unlawful conduct of another State against a third. There is no connection strictu sensu between the EU and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. These two particularities – the wide and partially unwanted effects of EU sanctions and their legal uncertainties – give rise to the question: Is there a way to check, balance and mitigate the impact of EU sanctions for those who find themselves to be ‘collateral damage’ thereof? This article argues that investment arbitration can answer this question in the positive. For this purpose, the article will first examine the effects of EU sanctions on non- Russian investors. Consequently, it will analyze the legal nature of EU sanctions under public international law, before turning to the role of investment arbitration and specifically the principle of proportionality to show how investment arbitration may mitigate unwanted results of EU sanctions without diminishing the desired effects of the regime.

Factors Associated With Support for COVID-19 Travel Bans: The Role of Health Beliefs and Multilevel Institutional Trust

This study examined whether the Health Belief Model and the heuristic of multilevel institutional trust would help explain U.S. residents’ support for travel bans on foreigners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of data collected from two nationwide online surveys conducted in 2020 ( n = 511 fielded between March 19 and March 27; n = 472 fielded between April 30 and May 13) suggested that support for this policy was associated with individual differences in risk and benefit perceptions, the presence of interpersonal cues, and trust in domestic and foreign institutions. Efforts to promote or resist international travel restrictions during a pandemic may benefit from accounting for these differences.

Male travel ban: legal regulation in Ukraine and international standards

The article discusses the issue of legal regulation in Ukraine of the ban on travel abroad. Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine made it difficult for the state to guarantee the rights of citizens and forced them to be partially limited. Since the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, men of conscription age have been prohibited from traveling abroad. The Constitution of Ukraine established the standards of the rule of law in this situation, which provide that the restrictions on the rights of a person and a citizen in the state are temporary and minimally necessary, and a specific list of rights cannot be violated under any circumstances. The final decision on the declaration of martial law is made by the Parliament. These norms of the Constitution of Ukraine correspond to the norms in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Analysis of court practice shows that plaintiffs often appeal against the decisions of officials of the State Border Service of Ukraine forbidding them to cross the state border, referring to their right to cross the said border because they have been granted a deferment from conscription for military service.National courts adhere to the position that the primary legitimate source of restrictions on the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen during the period of martial law is the Constitution of Ukraine and the Decree of the President of Ukraine on the introduction of martial law. At the same time, adopting the relevant Decree and determining the content and scope of rights subject to restriction, the President of Ukraine is guided by the goal of introducing and implementing the necessary measures aimed primarily at ensuring the defence of the State. When establishing restrictions, the President of Ukraine takes into account the norms of Art. 64 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which provides a list of rights and freedoms that are not subject to restriction. At the same time, due to the circumstances in which the decision to introduce martial law is made, the mechanisms and procedures for implementing restrictions on rights cannot be fully normalized.