Biosecurity, crisis management, automation technologies and economic performance of travel, tourism and hospitality companies – A conceptual framework

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 will have a significant influence on travel, tourism and hospitality (TTH) globally. With a massive reduction in tourism globally because of the health crisis, the industry will have to plan recovery and rebuilding of the industry with greater consideration of the biosecurity of customers. A critical element in the reorganisation of the industry will involve the increased incorporation of automation technologies. This article adopts a supply-side perspective and elaborates on the opportunities that automation technologies provide to TTH companies to mitigate the negative impacts of biosecurity threats on their economic performance. It discusses the costs and benefits of the incorporation of increased levels of automation, especially in regard to the benefits of the safety and health of the consumer. It elaborates on how the current pandemic would stimulate the adoption of automation technologies. Finally, the article discusses how this fit into the business models of tourism-related industries and outlines the micro- and macroeconomic implications of the greater incorporation of automation into the industry.

Safety and Health Measures for COVID-19 Transition Period in the Hotel Industry in Spain

“…To reactivate the tourism industry, international organizations are developing new studies to analyze the role that the private sector plays in coping with pandemic COVID-19 [ 40 ]. As a result, managers have the responsibility to develop tools that they can use to prevent or plan for these crises and drivers to guide them during the transition period.…”

“…Guidance on the provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygienic conditions has been offered by the WHO since the origin of the spread of the COVID-19 virus [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. According to Luby et al [ 56 ], handwashing reduced the incidence of respiratory infections in children and young adults in previous pandemics.…”

A literature survey of the robotic technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Robots are widely suggested to be deployed in different scenarios during the pandemic, to help reduce the infection by performing disinfection, monitoring, delivering, food preparation, and telepresence [ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] ]. Robots are also recommended to make intelligent decisions based on the inputs data from the population, which can be analysed through AI [ 17 ].…”

Fluctuations in Hong Kong Hotel Industry Room Rates under the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Evidence from Big Data on OTA Channels

“…They found that accurate forecasting was needed to maximize revenue, and strategies aimed at both direct and indirect channels should be aligned to maximize value and cost-effectiveness [33]. For crisis management during COVID-19, Ivanov pointed out that automation technologies should be provided to tourism-related companies to mitigate the negative impacts of biosecurity threats on their economic performance [34]. In summary, crisis management plays an important role in revenue management from the evidence of existing studies.…”