Navigating the uncharted: A crisis response mix to creeping ‘unknowns’

Creeping crises have received limited attention in crisis management. With a backdrop of COVID-19, we explore how tourism organisations can address unprecedented creeping crises. We propose and test a creeping crisis response matrix qualitatively and quantitatively by analysing 108 earnings calls from 22 hotel groups covering the first 16 months of the pandemic. Some cannot detect creeping crises during the incubation periods or the later re-emergence, whereas early exposure gives an advantage in crisis response. Contrary to conventional wisdom, organisational responses to unknown crises are not always reactive, with organisations deploying a varied mix of responses (reactive, adaptive, protective and proactive) even in the early stages of a crisis. As the framing of the crisis improves, crisis responses shift from survival to full-on experimentation, to response by design and then to response by protocol. The proposed matrix can be used as a response roadmap for navigating future, unknown, creeping crises.     

Organizational trust in times of COVID-19: Hospitality employees’ affective responses to managers’ communication

During a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, what managers communicate to their employees can greatly impact important organizational attitudes, such as organizational trust. There is, however, very little research focusing on the mechanisms explaining how managers’ messages during a crisis can influence employees’ organizational trust. To address this gap, the current study examined the role that emotions play in developing organizational trust using a 2 (following CDC norms vs. ignoring CDC norms) by 2 (employee focus vs. bottom-line focus) between-subjects factorial experiment, with COVID-19 as the context. The results showed that a manager’s communication that followed the CDC social norms made employees feel grateful, whereas communication that ignored CDC social norms enhanced fear and anger toward the organization. The feelings of gratefulness and fear influenced organizational trust. These results provide important theoretical and practical implications for understanding organizational trust during a crisis.     

COVID-19 and China’s Hotel Industry: Impacts,a Disaster Management Framework,and Post-Pandemic Agenda

This exploratory study reviews the overall impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on China’s hotel industry. A COVID-19 management framework is proposed to address the anti-pandemic phases, principles, and strategies. This study also suggests that COVID-19 will significantly and permanently affect four major aspects of China’s hotel industry—multi-business and multi-channels, product design and investment preference, digital and intelligent transformation, and market reshuffle.     

Assessing tourists' cognitive,emotional and behavioural reactions to an unethical destination incident

Studies of how tourists react to unethical incidents in destinations are scarce. Based on an online survey (n = 1350) and grounded in cognitive appraisal theory, this study examines people's reactions to a hypothetical breach of ethics at a tourism destination. Results from a structural equation model suggest that the more severe the incident and the greater the attribution of responsibility to agencies within the destination, the more likely it is that an individual will develop hostile emotions toward the destination. The tourist may then decide to avoid the incident emotionally or to spread negative word of mouth (WOM) about it. The study also highlights the importance of a positive destination image in reducing hostile emotions during such incidents. Moreover, tourists will be more likely to re-visit a destination if they choose to avoid engaging emotionally with an unethical incident and less likely to do so if they spread negative WOM.     

Afraid to travel after COVID-19? Self-protection,coping and resilience against pandemic ‘travel fear’

COVID-19 has generated an unprecedented level of public fear, likely impeding tourism industry recovery after the pandemic is over. This study explores what trigger the public's pandemic ‘travel fear’ and how people impose self-protection, coping and resilience related to travel. The study integrates theories including protection motivation theory, coping and resilience theories to address the research aim. Using a quota sampling, an online survey of 1208 respondents across mainland China was conducted. Results found that threat severity and susceptibility can cause ‘travel fear’, which leads to protection motivation and protective travel behaviors after the pandemic outbreak. Findings also revealed that ‘travel fear’ can evoke different coping strategies, which increases people's psychological resilience and adoption of cautious travel behaviors. Several strategies are provided on how to mitigate people's ‘travel fear’ and encourage travel in a post-COVID-19 world.     

Measuring financial performance through operating business efficiency in the global cruise industry: A fuzzy benchmarking study on the “big three”

Surprisingly, despite extensive research on the impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, no study develops financial performance benchmarks that reflect these effects. This research seeks to fill this gap by examining the financial performance of companies in the shipping sector, specifically the cruise sub-sector. The \"three biggest players\" in the sector are the focus of this analysis. Benchmarking is essential for both existing market participants and potential new entrants. Fuzzy methods are used in modeling situations that involve uncertainty. The findings indicate that the three companies' operations must be redesigned in order to produce income and pay off debts. Additionally, Carnival Corporation's resilience is evident in times of crisis, as it demonstrates the best growth prospects, remains dominant in terms of liquidity, presents the highest return on assets, and borrows less than the other two companies.     

新冠肺炎疫情对区域旅游发展影响及恢复发展应对策略研究——以云南省为例

新冠肺炎疫情爆发并迅速蔓延,对依赖以人的位移产生综合消费的旅游业的影响是巨大而且全方位的。以云南省为例,从宏观旅游经济运行、中观旅游业态发展、微观旅游企业发展及旅游资本市场四个层次,对新冠肺炎给区域旅游发展带来的影响进行分析与研判。在此基础上,提出区域旅游恢复发展的应对策略。     

Re-examining the overcapacity of the US lodging industry

Although the deteriorating profitability of the US lodging industry has been repeatedly attributed to overcapacity, there has been little research on the causes of overcapacity. The authors suspect that this issue stems from the lack of a working definition of optimal capacity level. This study evaluates the optimum capacity of the US lodging industry based on the fundamental price theory, which posits that prices are determined through equilibrium. Results of the simultaneous equations model show that the industry has an incentive to maintain overcapacity because the outcomes of under-capacity are even less desirable. The uncertainty of demand further encourages overcapacity to some extent. Historical overcapacity cycles in the US lodging industry suggest that overcapacity seems to be an outcome of unexpected demand shocks, rather than the consequence of irrational overbuilding. Implications for the industry and suggestions for future research are presented along with the study findings.