The relationship between destination image and destination safety during technological and social changes COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to assess the relationship between safety perceptions and destination image in the Central European region during the technological and social environment change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of respondents from three Central European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The quantile regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the image of the destination and its perceived safety. The results showed that concerns about the safety of the tourism environment could be negatively associated with the image of the infrastructure in Hungary and Slovakia, with value for money in the three countries, and with images of enjoyment in Slovakia. Higher levels of destination safety may be associated with a more positive destination image, with health, facilities and services being the most important dimensions of perceived safety, because of the pandemic. This study contributes to the knowledge of the concept of destination images and the development of tourism.

The relationship between destination image and destination safety during technological and social changes COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between safety perceptions and destination image in the Central European region during the technological and social environment change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of respondents from three Central European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The quantile regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the image of the destination and its perceived safety. The results showed that concerns about the safety of the tourism environment could be negatively associated with the image of the infrastructure in Hungary and Slovakia, with value for money in the three countries, and with images of enjoyment in Slovakia. Higher levels of destination safety may be associated with a more positive destination image, with health, facilities and services being the most important dimensions of perceived safety, because of the pandemic. This study contributes to the knowledge of the concept of destination images and the development of tourism.

Assessing the COVID-19 pandemic impact on tourism arrivals: The role of innovation to reshape the future work for sustainable development

The current COVID-19 pandemic has generated unprecedented disruption in the tourism sector, requiring innovative solutions to reshape future work for sustainability. Despite the several benefits of tourism and innovation, studies examining the interlinkages among tourism, pandemic uncertainty, and innovations for sustainability are rare. To fill this gap, this paper investigates the impact of the pandemic on tourism arrivals, and the effects of tourism arrivals and pandemic impacts on the sustainable development of France. The paper further considers the innovation influences on pandemic uncertainty to consider it key for the control of the pandemic. Autoregressive distributed lag results based on 25 years of historical data show that the immediate effects of pandemic discussion on tourism arrivals are insignificant. However, in the long run, such effects become significantly negative, revealing that a rise in pandemic discussion reduces tourism arrivals in France. We find that tourism arrivals and pandemic discussions have positive significant effects on the sustainability of France. The tourism arrivals and pandemic discussion interaction results reveal that tourists who are aware of the pandemic significantly contribute to sustainability. Significant evidence shows that a rise in innovation helps to reduce pandemic uncertainty. However, innovation's short-term effects are more prominent compared with the long-term effects, indicating that the pandemic can be countered in the short run with the help of innovative solutions. Thus, relying on innovation, especially innovations related to COVID-19 will reduce the pandemic's risk. Our results were robust to various econometric methodologies. We have drawn policy implications to focus on tourism development and constant innovations for sustainable recovery.

The role of open innovation in fostering SMEs’ business model innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant consequences on the activities of companies worldwide. This study aims to unveil how open innovation fostered business model innovation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a qualitative approach, involving a multiple case study methodology, and focusses on six SMEs operating in various traditional sectors. Findings The findings highlight the impact of the external stimulus, COVID-19, on business model innovation and the key role of open innovation management in pursuing the business model innovation, which may also involve a digital transformation. Originality/value While some studies have examined how the pandemic has fostered business model transformation, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study analysing the pivotal role of open innovation in driving business model innovation during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.