An analysis of covid-19 pandemic on Kota Kinabalu as a tourism city: Impacts, measures and recommendations

Jennifer Chan Kim Lian and Tay Kai Xin (2023) An analysis of covid-19 pandemic on Kota Kinabalu as a tourism city: Impacts, measures and recommendations. Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism (APJIHT), 12. pp. 49-69. ISSN 22891471

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URL: https://fslmjournals.taylors.edu.my/an-analysis-of...

Abstract

The paper focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Bornean tourism city in terms of impacts, measures, challenges faced and recommendation to tourism destination management. It analyses the “what and how” COVID-19 pandemic impacted tourism business operators and local residents of a reputable tourism city in Sabah, Malaysia. Qualitative research-based interviews with 40 respondents, including tourism business operators and residents. Findings reveal tourism businesses were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the drop of tourist arrivals. Major impacts include loss of revenue, change of business operating hours and temporary and permanent closures. New marketing strategies focus on product, pricing and embracing digitalization to stimulate local demand to revitalize the travel and tourism industry. New approaches in managing and marketing tourism destinations, along with a destination resilience framework to enhance the sustainability of the destination. It provides empirical understanding of the phenomena of the COVID-19 pandemic on a tourism destination, new perspectives to rebuild and rebrand a tourism city via relevant strategies to revitalize city’s economic and tourism business sustainability. Suggests that tourism stakeholders in tourism destination management must re-examine how to rebuild tourism business and rebrand Kota Kinabalu City in the new environment, review market segments and consider diversification, crisis management and contingency plans unpredictable events.

Item Type:	Article
Keyword:	Tourism city , Kota Kinabalu City, Borneo , COVID-19 pandemic in tourism city , negative impacts.
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General). Atlases. Maps > G1-922 Geography (General) G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General). Atlases. Maps > G1-922 Geography (General) > G149-180 Travel. Voyages and travels (General)
Department:	FACULTY > Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting
Depositing User:	ABDULLAH BIN SABUDIN -
Date Deposited:	30 Aug 2023 15:01
Last Modified:	30 Aug 2023 15:01
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/36038

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