Impact of COVID – 19 on Tourism
Introduction
The increased rate of globalization has amplified the effects of COVID-19. The impact of the disease ranges from loss of jobs to loss of lives. This has generally affected the global economy. Apart from financial burden being increased on individuals the pandemic has also led to emotional burden on individuals across the globe. The impact of the pandemic is not being felt in equal measures by all the industries in the economy. An example is the telecommunication industry which has arguably not felt the impact of the disease to a great extent. This report focuses on the tourism industry in Oman. The report discusses the impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism industry. Similarly, the report highlights some of the reviving plans which could be used to ensure to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the tourism industry.
Impact on tourism industry
Chinnazi et al., (2020) notes that the tourism industry has been argued to be the worst hit industry by pandemics. This has been the precedence in the major pandemics which have occurred such as Spanish Flu which occurred between 1918 and 1920 and the Ebola virus which occurred between 2014 and 2016. The pandemics significantly impact the tourism industry through the travel restriction measures which are placed by the governments. An example is the Spanish flu which restricted global travel for four months (Gössling et al., 2020).
The travel restrictions which are placed to combat the spread of the virus places the tourism industry in unique situations compared to other industries. This measure was also taken Oman which halted tourist visas for all countries on 15th March 2020 (Castelier, 2020). The air travel which is the main mode of transport in the transport industry is arguably the most efficient method of spreading the virus globally. The sultanate’s flag carrier also suspended operations including stopping the trips to and from Millan which is one of the main international tourist destination for Oman. Chinnazi et al., (2020) states that pandemics renders the tourism attraction sites as unattractive. This is because the tourism destinations during the pandemics poses a threat to the lives of the tourists. During the pandemics, the World Health Organization in most cases issues travel advisories. These are meant to limit the movement of people. The tourism is the backbone for economies across the globe including Oman. This is because of the significant revenue which is generated from the industry. The hotels, travel agencies, tour operators and airlines in the tourism industry suspend their operations during the pandemic such as during the COVID-19 outbreak. The cruise ships which is also another main travel means for tourists also got suspended by the supreme Committee of Oman from 12th March 2020 (Castelier, 2020). During the ban the committee stated that their reason of banning the cruise ships is that they could lead to the importation of the virus and that health was more important. Castelier, (2020) notes that the suspension of cruise tourism significantly impacted Oman tourism industry since it advocates for the highest number of international tourist bookings. The cruising industry in the year 2019 recorded a growth of 43% accounting for 283,000 foreign tourists who came to the Oman Sultanate. In the year 202 it was projected to grow and bring more than 300,000 visitors to the country. Currently, this projection is not feasible going by the suspension of the cruise travels.
Chinnazi et al., (2020) notes that due to the cancellation of travels the hotels in the tourism industry is the most hit sector. The Oman government has suspended all gatherings and international conferences which are mainly characterized with international guests. This has led to the reduction in the occupancy rate of the main hotels in the industry. Castelier, (2020) highlights some hotels which used to charge 300 OMR per night have significantly reduced their rates to 90 OMR per night. The hotel industry in Oman was on the upward trend in terms of growth where 96 new hotels are projected to crop up. With the lack of occupants this projection appears not to be feasible.
Revival plan
The recovery plan for the tourism industry encompasses four key strategies discussed herein;
- Promotion of domestic tourism
Niewiadomski (2020) notes that what is learnt during the pandemic is that countries should encourage more of domestic tourism than the international tourism. The travel restriction have mainly affected the international travel but the domestic travel in Oman is still moderate. Countries have mostly focused on international tourism. Oman sultanate has majorly marketed itself on the international platforms describing itself as the hidden jewel at the tip of the gulf. This is not as much as it encourages domestic tourism. This has led to the international tourism being rampant than the international tourism. The nationals in Oman in this case prefer to tour other countries disregarding the rich tourism sites their country has. The revival of the tourism industry in this case can be done through encouraging domestic travels. This ensures that the players in the industry still have clients even when the international travel is still banned. The domestic tourism can be encouraged through various ways such as promotions which target the local tourists. The domestic tourism can be encouraged but under the restrictions meant to manage the spread of the virus such as social distancing.
- Loans and grants to the industry players
The COVID-19 generally has a significant economic impact on the tourism industry (Choudhary, 2020). The players in the industry have lost their revenue. This is mainly because during the pandemic the players have reduced revenue or have no revenue at all evidenced by their reduced rates for rooms. However, these players still have financial obligation such as salaries and paying of rents. This makes them to have financial constraint. Getting back on their feet and having competitive muscle in the global tourism industry requires financial assistance. The government can boost these players in the industry through offering loans and invectives to them. This is described as a revival plan of the industry. The players in the industry can be also be given tax holidays or tax reliefs to reduce their financial. This measure is only meant to last for the duration which the players are struggling to get back on their feet since it is a gradual process.
- Restoring confidence in the travel and tourism industry
The travel sector and tourism industry are significantly interconnected. Niewiadomski (2020) notes that during pandemics the travel restrictions makes people to lose interest in travel. This is mainly because they perceive travel as a threat to their health. The revival plan to the tourism industry is based on restoring confidence on travel. The restoration process encompasses putting in place various measures which enhance the safety of travelers. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic various measures can be put in place by the Oman tourism ministry to ensure that the chances of the tourists acquiring the virus during their travel is reduced. The measures include requiring the tourism destinations to maintain high level of hygiene in their areas of operations. The hotels and the tour operators are also to be mandated to ensure that their clients are able to maintain social distancing. This promotes the confidence of the tourists where they are confident that they will not be able to get the virus when they are touring. This revives the tourists checking in the tourism sites.
- Lifting the travel restrictions
The tourism industry and travel sector are interconnected (Choudhary, 2020). The revival of travel mainly targets international tourism. Revival of international tourism requires international coordination. This mainly entails the coordination among governments across the globe. Lifting the travel restrictions of one country does not have an impact if other countries still have travel restrictions. One of the key countries to be targeted in this endeavor are the United Arab Emirates and the Saudi Arabia which account for the key source for international Oman tourists. The safety of the patients also require coordination between governments which involves screening of the travelers. The screening of the travelers is conducted in their area of departure which is the country they are coming from and at their arrival in Oman. This limits the international spread of the virus which is associated by the air travel. Other health protocols such as social distancing and the use of face masks during the travel can be implemented to reduce the spread of the virus.
Conclusion
This report has established the significant impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry. The report has established that the tourism industry has been brought to a near halt due to the virus. This is mainly because of the travel restrictions which have been issued by the governments across the globe. The impact on the tourism industry has a major impact on the Oman economy. The revival process of the Oman tourism in this report proposes four key strategies. The first strategy entails the promotion of domestic tourism in the case where there are still international travel restrictions. The other strategies include loans and grants to the players in the tourism industry, lifting of the travel restrictions and restoring confidence in travel.
References
Castelier, S., (2020). Coronavirus: Oman’s Tourism Sector Takes A Hit. [online] alaraby. Available at: https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2020/3/12/coronavirus- omans-tourism- sector-takes-a-hit [Accessed 18 June 2020].
Chinazzi, M., Davis, J. T., Ajelli, M., Gioannini, C., Litvinova, M., Merler, S., … & Viboud, C. (2020). The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Science, 368(6489), 395-400.
Choudhary, M. V. K. (2020). A Framework for Revival of MSME Sector Post COVID 19. Tathapi with ISSN 2320-0693 is an UGC CARE Journal, 19(10), 288-295.
Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-20.
Niewiadomski, P. (2020). COVID-19: from temporary de-globalisation to a re-discovery of tourism?. Tourism Geographies, 1-6.
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