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Tourism in the Post(?) COVID-19 Era: Evidence from the Hotel Sector in the North East of England

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Spanaki, Maria Zoi, Papatheodorou, Andreas and Pappas, Nikolaos (2021) Tourism in the Post(?) COVID-19 Era: Evidence from the Hotel Sector in the North East of England. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 13 (3). pp. 357-368. ISSN 1755-4217

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines developments in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic using the hotel sector in the North-East of England as the area of study. The country has attracted a lot of attention not only because of its importance as a tourism destination but also due to its rather controversial management of the pandemic at least in its early stages.

Methodology: Fifteen semi-structured interviews based on ten open-ended questions were conducted with North East of England-based hotel managers of international brands on the level of their hotels’ preparedness to effectively deal with pandemic cases. The interviews took place in August and September 2020 with participants kept anonymous.

Findings: Meeting new operational and bureaucratic requirements added to the cost structure and proved a major challenge for managers who saw their hotel occupancy rates and revenue collapsing within a short period of time. Innovative and aggressive pricing strategies were introduced to lure especially younger travelers in the absence of business clientele. Staff were made redundant and/or asked to work overtime making effective human resource management very difficult.

Originality/Value: This is one of the first research attempts to highlight the importance of the COVID-19 pandemic for the hotel sector in a major region of the United Kingdom. The paper also attempts some generalization by discussing managerial implications and suggesting a possible way forward for the hotel sector. Developing resilience by building on previously used successful business practices proves of essence.

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More Information

Depositing User: Nicholas Pappas

Identifiers

Item ID: 13977
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-01-2021-0013
ISSN: 1755-4217
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13977
Official URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110...

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Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 17 Sep 2021 09:31
Last Modified: 25 Jan 2022 08:51

Contributors

Author: Maria Zoi Spanaki
Author: Andreas Papatheodorou
Author: Nikolaos Pappas

University Divisions

Faculty of Business, Law and Tourism > Sunderland Law School

Subjects

Tourism > Hospitality

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