The long-term impacts of hotel’s strategic responses to COVID-19: The case of Dubai

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant business disruptions around the world, with travel and tourism being particularly impacted. In response, governments and businesses implemented drastic responses to reduce the impact of the virus and mitigate the corresponding loss in business. Through nine semi-structured interviews with senior hotel managers in Dubai, the pattern of response was understood, along with participants’ perceptions of the long-term consequences of such responses. Through a variety of responses to handle this specific crisis, general crisis management – to cope with low demand – and efforts to recover – attracting new customers – the nature of responses appear to match those of previous crises, with some variations. In terms of the long-term impacts of these responses, it was felt that numerous properties would permanently close, the nature of international hospitality would become more consolidated and there would be long-term changes in operations and efficiency improvements.

Job Insecurity and Intention to Quit: The Role of Psychological Distress and Resistance to Change in the UAE Hotel Industry

“…A key contributor to prolonged JI is the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 2020 report, global projections estimate COVID-19-related job losses at 100.8 million and “a $2.7 trillion decrease in GDP in the travel and tourism sector,” making its impacts “five times worse than the 2008 financial crisis” ([ 3 ], p. 71). However, hospitality companies have implemented specific recovery measures to generate more profits and retain their workers.…”

“…However, hospitality companies have implemented specific recovery measures to generate more profits and retain their workers. For instance, the Hotelier in the Middle East reported the second-highest hotel occupancy worldwide in 2020 in the period following the lifting of most restrictions [ 3 ]. Despite such positive attainments, [ 4 ] admitted that COVID-19 has negatively impacted workers’ attitudes, augmenting their turnover intentions.…”

Sustainability Measures Implemented in the Hotel Industry. Case study: Romania

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to businesses around the world, with travel and tourism severely affected. In response, governments and businesses have implemented drastic responses to reduce the impact of the virus and mitigate appropriate business losses (Kenny and Dutt, 2022). The Covid-19 pandemic has been found to have multiple effects on the hotel industry, leaving behind an uncertain industry that has turned its attention to safety and hygiene concerns to regain the trust of its guests (Heredia-Colaço and Rodrigues, 2021).…”

A Projection Approach of Tourist Circulation under Conditions of Uncertainty

“…There have been other crisis situations that have had a detrimental impact on tourism, including the financial crisis of 2008-2010, various international terrorism events [3], including the fall of the twin towers in the United States of America in 2001, bankruptcies in tourism, and natural disasters, such as the 2021 volcanic eruption in Spain that disrupted a considerable number of European flights. However, these different crises did not have such a devastating impact on travel as the current pandemic, because they were not global events [4]. In the case of COVID-19, once social distancing policies were implemented, there was a significant decrease in tourist arrivals, which reduced the total travel expense income at the point of destination.…”