The COVID-19 crisis and sustainability in the hospitality industry

Abstract

Purpose This paper offers some reflections on changes in the relationships between sustainability and the hospitality industry following the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. (Covid-19 is officially a pandemic, but the term “COVID-19 crisis” is used throughout this paper because the authors feel that it captures the wider impacts of the crisis, rather than just focussing on the disease itself). Design/methodology/approach The paper describes the COVID-19 crisis, emphasises the role of hospitality in economic and social life and reviews how the crisis has changed the relationships between sustainability and the hospitality industry. Findings The paper reveals the dramatic effect the crisis has had on sustainability in the hospitality industry. That said, though the crisis has offered a vision of a more sustainable future, this vision may pose a major challenge for the industry and for many of its traditional customers. Research limitations/implications The paper outlines some of the theoretical, operational, strategic and research implications of the crisis for the hospitality industry and for hospitality scholars. Originality/value This paper provides a reflective review of changes in the relationships between sustainability and the hospitality industry following the onset of COVID-19.

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on domestic tourism: A DEMATEL method analysis on quarantine decisions

“…The effect of COVID-19 on different aspects of the tourism industry was highlighted in the literature. Among them are the social costs of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Qiu et al, 2020 ), the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourist’s psyche ( Kock et al, 2020 ), hotel marketing and management ( Jiang and Wen, 2020 ), hospitality workforce ( Baum et al, 2020 ), sustainability in the hospitality industry ( Jones and Comfort, 2020 ), and global tourism industry ( Uğur and Akbıyık, 2020 ). Additionally, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel ( Wen et al, 2020 ), Indian food and hospitality sector with specific reference to potato crop ( Masih et al, 2020 ), and tourism sector and hotel businesses in Marmaris ( Bayat, 2020 ) has been researched in the literature.…”

Effects of crisis on crisis management practices: a case from Turkish tourism enterprises

“…Crises dramatically affect the sustainability of tourism enterprises (Jones & Comfort, 2020;Choe et al, 2020). Therefore, CMP suggested here can help tourism enterprises to continue in a sustainable manner.…”

What happened women working in the hospitality industry when COVID-19 struck?

“…The industry is a significant employer and its workforce has been, and continues to be, adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. 1 Worldwide, much of the hospitality workforce is female-dominated 2 and, globally, women were most affected by the pandemic and suffered more job losses than men in the unpredictable and changing conditions. 3 Therefore, exploring women's employment in the hospitality industry during the crisis is an important issue to investigate.…”