COVID-19 Research in Hospitality and Tourism: Critical Analysis, Reflection, and Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected everyday life and business. To describe the impacts, 566 COVID-19-related articles were published between January 2020 and March 2022 in 18 hospitality and tourism journals. This study identifies the research streams, using content and bibliometric analyses. Content analysis and co-citation analysis revealed six research streams and four research clusters, respectively. A critical analysis was conducted to reflect the theoretical and practical implications and provide suggestions for future research directions. The identified research weaknesses include concerns relating to generalizability, sampling and measurement-related issues, online survey methods, failure to identify different stakeholders' views on the adoption of new technologies, lack of practical coping scheme studies, lack of effort to adopt multidisciplinary theories, and little exploration of customers' reactions to virtual events. Results of this study can help facilitate and consolidate the knowledge on the impacts of the pandemic and proactively prepare for future disease crises. © The Author(s) 2023.

Examining airline employees' work-related stress and coping strategies during the global tourism crisis

Purpose This study aims to investigate the theoretical relationships between job stressors, psychological stress and coping strategies in the context of the global travel and tourism crisis faced by the airline industry. Design/methodology/approach An online cross-sectional survey was designed to obtain empirical data from airline employees in South Korea and Hong Kong. A total of 366 airline employees participated in the survey through convenience sampling method. Findings The structural equation modeling findings indicated that work schedule and demand;job insecurity and financial concerns;and role conflict played a significant role in creating psychological stress, which, in turn, determined emotion-oriented coping. The influence of the identified job stressors on psychological stress was significantly different between South Korean and Hong Kong airline employees. Practical implications The study demonstrates ways in which airline employees react to stressful work circumstances to avoid loss of resources. Furthermore, it highlights the role that psychological stress plays in influencing airline employees to direct attention to emotion-oriented coping mechanisms. Originality/value In view of the immense impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global airline industry, this study expands the role of job stressors in a peculiar and unprecedented work environment in the airline industry and accentuates the varying effects job stress may have on coping strategies from the perspective of airline employees in an Asian culture.

Airline employees’ stress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its job-related consequences

This study identified new stressors that airline employees encounter during the pandemic in addition to the traditional stressors. In addition, this study analyzed the effects of perceived stressors on their consequences. The magnitudes of the impacts of the stressors were different before and after the pandemic outbreak. Overall, even though airline employees showed a high perception of stressors, emotional symptoms and negative mental health effects, they also demonstrated appreciation of having a job at all amid the restructuring of airline human resources and overcame the stressors by reconciling them with job instability issues triggered by the pandemic. © 2021 Asia Pacific Tourism Association.