What are Economic, Psychological and Social Consequences of the Covid-19 Crisis on Tourism Employees?

Abstract

This paper purposes to investigate the economic, psychological and social effects of the Covid-19 crisis on tourism employees in Turkey. The exploratory research approach was adopted and an online interview, one of the qualitative research methods, was used for data collection. This paper presents valuable evidence to contribute to the literature by emphasizing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourism employees. Tourism employees, who are the core of tourism employment, have been severely affected economically, psychologically and socially during the pandemic process. They were economically subjected to “short-term working allowance” and “severe income loss” and faced the “fear” of losing their jobs and their loved ones psychologically. Furthermore, it has been stated that they have a really “boring” social life during the pandemic. These effects have been sought to strengthen with government incentives such as “unemployment benefit, short-term working allowance, unemployment benefit for suspended personnel, credit support, pandemic social support application, Covid-19 staff training, the supply of personal protective equipment and hygienic working environment”. The Covid-19 is an unprecedented and ongoing crisis for the global tourism industry. This paper serves as a prelude to a broader field of tourism employees during the pandemic and offers theoretical and practical insight for future crises and tourism employees.

COVID-19 and tourism stakeholders: experience, behaviour and transformation

“…The above findings on the psychological changes add to the findings of other studies (e.g. Aguiar-Quintana et al, 2021;Brooks et al, 2020;Cao et al, 2020;Yin and Ni, 2021;Kang et al, 2020;Ozdemir, 2020), which pointed out the severity of impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the tourism workforces.…”

“…The powerful emotions experienced by the employees during the COVID-19 pandemic include fear, hopelessness, sadness, stress, anxiety, panic, depression, pensiveness and obsession (Aguiar-Quintana et al, 2021;Ozdemir, 2020;Sah et al, 2020). Such emotions can enhance insecurity (Habib et al, 2015;Trachik et al, 2018), hinder performance and satisfaction, and lead to job turnover (Jung et al, 2021).…”

The Impacts of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector

“…Consequently, from the perspective of tourism firms, government support has been invaluable (Gössling et al, 2020). A study conducted with tourism employees in Turkey revealed a plethora of government incentives, such as unemployment benefits, short-term working allowance, and unemployment benefit for suspended personnel, and support from firms, such as COVID-19 staff training, the supply of personal protective equipment, and hygienic working environments (Ozdemir, 2020). A study revealed the negative psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis on tourism industry employees, impairing their well-being (Chen, 2020).…”

Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perceptions and sentiments of tourism employees: evidence from a small island tourism economy in the Caribbean

“…Previous studies indicate that health and income are significantly related to experienced well-being (Killingsworth, 2021; Miret et al , 2017; Wolf et al , 2019). Recent COVID impact studies suggest that the loss of income, unemployment and increasing COVID health concerns have a profound impact on experienced well-being of tourism employees (Carnevale and Hatak, 2020; Mcguire et al ., 2021; Ozdemir, 2020) and their consumption sentiments and habits (Martin et al , 2020).…”

“…Based on previous tourism research (Emen, 2020; Evans and Elphick, 2005; Hajibaba et al , 2015; Santana et al , 2003; Vargas-Sanchez, 2018), recent COVID-related studies (Carnevale and Hatak, 2020; Martins et al , 2020; Ozdimir, 2020; Sharma et al , 2021; Sigala, 2020), and postmodern behavioral economic theory (Ackerlof and Shiller, 2009; Kahneman, 2011; Katona, 1975; Manolis et al , 2001), this study proposes that the well-being of tourism employees, that is, the self-perception and sentiments of tourism employees, is disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis as compared to nontourism employees. This study hypothesizes that the experienced well-being of tourism employees, in comparison to nontourism employees, is significantly more negatively affected by the COVID-19 crisis.…”