Innovation and creativity in a time of crisis: A perspective of small tourism enterprises from an emerging destination

Disasters and crises do not only affect tourism enterprises detrimentally but can also prompt business innovation and creativity. This positive outlook is under-studied although it can aid in understanding the speed of business recovery, especially among smaller tourism enterprises in remote and resource-scarce destinations where external assistance is limited. This study examines innovation and creativity among tourism entrepreneurs in Lombok (Indonesia), an emerging destination in Southeast Asia, through the prism of two crises, the 2018 earthquake and COVID-19. Interviews with small-sized tourism entrepreneurs (n = 21) reveal the innovative dynamic capability as a critical factor for crisis-driven business innovation. This capability is determined by generic factors, such as social capital and knowledge, but also destination-specific factors, such as local cultural values. The important role of time is also showcased: prolonged crises encourage tourism entrepreneurs to innovate sooner, while short-lived disastrous events prescribe a cautious approach to innovation. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Here and now - the role of mindfulness in post-pandemic tourism

This is a follow-up to the study 'A mindful shift: an opportunity for mindfulness-driven tourism in a post-pandemic world', which was published in Tourism Geographies. The original paper advocated that, during a major crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus could be put on (more) mindful tourists as a driver of mindful change for the global tourism industry. In this follow-up study, we discuss the mindfulness-based approaches as feasible, low-cost solutions to reduce negative psychological effects in many tourism settings as well as a strategy to ensure the tourism industry's pro-longed sustainability during and after the pandemic. We start with the underlying mechanism of mindfulness practices as a technique to cope with the pandemic and, from a managerial standpoint, discuss the different roles of mindfulness within the envisioned courses of tourism development in a post-COVID-19 future.

Exploring tourist opinion expression on COVID-19 and policy response to the pandemic's occurrence through a content analysis of an online petition platform. (Special Issue: COVID-19 and tourism.)

Numerous studies have examined disasters and crises affecting the tourism industry but very few have explicitly explored public opinion regarding a health-related crisis alongside a policy response to its occurrence. The COVID-19 pandemic with its rapid evolution and lasting detrimental implications has provided a unique opportunity to fill this knowledge gap. This study conducts a systematic content analysis of an online petition platform to explore public opinion on COVID-19 in the tourism context and the actions undertaken by the national government of China. The results demonstrate that trip cancellations and postponements represent the prime area of tourist concern, closely related to the issue of refunds. Mounting dissatisfaction with the service provided is triggered by ineffective communication about how to cancel and process refunds, and generates numerous complaints. However, the study finds that the policy action does not always regard tourist concerns, demands, and interests, because it primarily revolves around the problem of financial losses and focuses on the rapid economic rebound of the national tourism industry. The study recommends the need for policy instruments to understand and subsequently integrate public concerns in the design of interventions for crisis recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic and organisational learning for disaster planning and management: A perspective of tourism businesses from a destination prone to consecutive disasters

Organisational learning is critical for building disaster-resilient tourism businesses. Limited research has examined the mechanisms of organisational learning in tourism enterprises operating in disaster-prone destinations. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to investigate how past disasters have reinforced organisational resilience of tourism businesses. This paper evaluates the effect of past disasters on organisational learning of tourism businesses in Bali. It finds that limited human and social capital restricts their organisational learning, exposing vulnerability of the Balinese tourism industry to future disastrous events. Stakeholder capacity building exercises are required to enhance disaster resilience of tourism businesses and their host destination. © 2021 The Authors