The tourism and hospitality industry globally were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic including massive declines in international and domestic travel due to travel restrictions and border closures. This has led to a plunge in tourism receipts, disruptions in aviation and hospitality industries, as well as loss of employment. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a rebound in tourism is likely to take place as a consequence of COVID=19 vaccine rollout. While domestic travel would recover faster than international travel demand, the rebound in international tourism to the 2019 levels could take at least 2.5 to 4 years.

Besides taking measures to survive, the tourism and hospitality industry is also shifting to develop recovery adaptation strategies to build a stronger and more resilient industry. Jointly hosted by the Centre for Hospitality and Innovation Leadership (CHIL) and the Asia Pacific Centre for Hospitality Research (APCHR) at the School of Hospitality and Service Management, the webinar “Road to recovery from COVID 19: The tourism and hospitality experience” brought together experts and global perspectives from both the industry and academia to share and discuss issues and challenges in relation to managing the re-opening of the hospitality and tourism industry.

Four prominent speakers were invited to present:
1. Dr Sarah Gardiner, Deputy Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University, Australia
2. Mr Noor Ahmad, Chief Operating Officer, Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau
3. Mr Alex Castaldi, Senior General Manager, Sunway City Kuala Lumpur Hotels, Malaysia
4. Dr Antonia Correia, Professor of Tourist Behaviour and Tourism Economics, University of Algrave, Portugal

The 90-minute webinar provided valuable insights into the various issues and challenges faced by the industry and views were exchanged and discussed. From the macro perspective of the tourism and hospitality, Dr Correia and Dr Gardiner attempted to analyze the impact of the pandemic on tourism development of nations.

As mentioned by Dr Correia, it is difficult to predict the impact of the pandemic and its recovery, except the significant disruption to the tourism industry. For destinations to regain their competitiveness, it is crucial for destination management organizations to re-examine their roles and strategies in relation to destination marketing.

On a similar note, questions were also raised by Dr Gardiner as to how the pandemic will affect long-term travel behavior what are the impacts of travel bubbles? which destination will open first, and will that give them a competitive edge? how will destination marketers compete in the crowded marketplace and does the pandemic provide an opportunity to disrupt the tourism ecosystem and move to a new more sustainable and regenerative era?

In terms of coping and recovering strategies from the micro industry perspective, Mr Castaldi expressed that it is important for the hotels to use this opportunity to innovate and make positive changes to equip themselves better when the market reopens.

To move the Malaysian business events industry forward, Mr Noor Ahmad presented the strategic marketing plan 2021 - 2030 of the Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau which covers how to reposition Malaysia as a business events destination and how to engage with its stakeholders.

Anisha Chai Mee Fong
School of Hospitality & Service Management
Email: @email