Empirical analysis of COVID-19 induced socio cognitive factors and its impact on residents of Penang Island

Abstract

Purpose Pandemic like coronavirus (COVID-19) poses a major challenge to countries like Malaysia where tourism is one of the major contributors to the national gross domestic product. Pandemics observed through the years have not only presented a medical challenge but also had a large impact on the psychological well-being of society. Overcoming these challenges required a strategically structured response on the medical and social front. To achieve the said goal on the social front, it is necessary to understand the cognitive appraisal and response of the public during this stressful environment. The restricted movement control used to curb the further spread of the disease drastically hampered tourism in Malaysia. This study aims to follow a statistical analysis based on the cognitive appraisal theory to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the public residing in Penang Island which is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, observational study design was carried out for this research. Snowball sampling technique was used and the data was collected via a semi-structured online questionnaire measuring the psychological health of people present in Penang Island. Findings The study reports a positive response in terms of disease awareness and proper observation of preventive measures, yet a high level of pandemic induced anxiety was statistically estimated. The study proposes mental health care initiative to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value This study reports a possible link between the mental wellness of the residents and domestic tourism in Penang Island during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Malaysia Tourism Industry Supply Chain

“…This pandemic Covid-19 is more global and has a much longer period effect compared to the previous health-related crisis. In comparison, tourism studies such as SARS in 2003, the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, and MERS in 2015 show comparable patterns on smaller scales (Salman et al, 2021). The scenarios are similar between an economic recession caused by a coronavirus and 2008 and the political aspect of the pandemic and investigations into tourism during the Arab Spring uprising and the refugee crisis (Brown et al, 2017) COVID-19 tourism impacts are uncertain outlook in relation to time and space, where early estimation shows an enormous within international economic impact: One prediction from the United Kingdom indicates that tourism expenditure (overnight and same-day trips) will decrease by 24 percent, equaling GBP 22.1 billion and surpassing the international loss of GBP 19.7 billion in absolute value (Al-Rohaimi & Al Otaibi, 2020).…”

“…Domestic tourism represents around 75% of tourism economies in countries that are likely to drop significantly (Razak, 2020). The complex and challenging demand would fall due to foreign buyers delaying or withdrawing orders, local and foreign tourists, canceling trips, and the drops in the stock market (Salman et al, 2021). On the other hand, the supply side also faces disruptions in developing countries due to imported raw materials and spare parts (Singh & Misra, 2020).…”

Understanding Multi-stakeholder Complexity & Developing a Causal Recipe (fsQCA) for achieving Sustainable Ecotourism

“…Additionally, stakeholder theory demonstrates that stakeholders' interests are not just economic, but that many stakeholders have other tangible interests (Agüera, 2013 ). After analyzing the past literature, researchers defined various types of stakeholders interests in sustainable tourism (Harilal & Tichaawa, 2018 ; Saidmamatov et al, 2020 ; Salman et al, 2021 ; Salman Jaafar, & Mohamad, 2021a ; Salman, Kamerkar, et al, 2021 ) as (1) Materialistic interests, (2) Sociocultural interests and (3) Environmental interests.…”

“…Understanding that stakeholders' interests differ among and within the groups is important for a tourist destination (Salman et al, 2021 ; Salman Jaafar, & Mohamad, 2021a ; Salman, Kamerkar, et al, 2021 ). Diverse stakeholder interests may obstruct the identification of activities and distort collective efforts, culminating in project failure (Nicolaides, 2015 ).…”

“…This is because of the presence of multiple stakeholders in the destinations. Researchers such as Jaafar et al ( 2021a , 2021b ), Salman et al ( 2020 ), and Salman Jaafar, and Mohamad ( 2021a ) , Salman et al ( 2021 ), Salman, Kamerkar, et al ( 2021 )) have highlighted that multiple stakeholders can hinder ecotourism sustainability in the destination. Therefore, sustainable ecotourism is only achievable if all stakeholders are well managed and understood in terms of their interests and influence on the destination.…”