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Sustainability
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Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19
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Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 April 2025) | Viewed by 15363

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chris Roberts

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Hospitality Leadership, Driehaus College of Business, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60604, USA
Interests: tourism strategy; tourism development; tourism technology; leadership
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lisa Young

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Hospitality Leadership, Driehaus College of Business, DePaul University Chicago, IL 60604, United States
Interests: tourism; international wine management; hospitality sales and marketing; revenue management and pricing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue has a focus on how the tourism industry has recovered since the COVID-19 pandenic. Of keen interest is how destinations are returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, given various governmental restrictions and individual market dynamics. Socio-cultural issues, the physical environment, and sustainability have been long-standing values to cherish in tourism destinations. Research that identifies how these key values were nourished or compromised in the recovery would be of high interest. Such research would expand the tourism literature, as it would contribute new insights into how destinations may recover after calamity.

1. Outline

a. FOCUS: This Special Issue has a focus on how the tourism industry has recovered since the COVID-19 pandenic.

b. SCOPE: Of keen interest is how destinations are returning to pre-COVID-19 levels, given various governmental restrictions and individual market dynamics.

c. PURPOSE: Socio-cultural issues, the physical environment, and sustainability have been long-standing values to cherish in tourism destinations. Research that identifies how these key values were nourished or compromised in the recovery would be of high interest.

2. Such research would expand the tourism literature, as it would contribute new insights into how destinations may recover after calamity.

Prof. Dr. Chris Roberts
Dr. Lisa Young
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tourism development
  • tourism recovery
  • tourism economics
  • tourism marketing

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
Mega-Events After COVID-19: Strategies for Sustainable Recovery
by Mary Jo Dolasinski and Chris Roberts
Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6453; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146453 - 15 Jul 2025
Viewed by 636
Abstract
This study examines how international mega-events have adapted to post-pandemic conditions, with a focus on sustainability, resilience, and the integration of public health. Employing a qualitative comparative case study design, the analysis spans events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Lollapalooza, [...] Read more.
This study examines how international mega-events have adapted to post-pandemic conditions, with a focus on sustainability, resilience, and the integration of public health. Employing a qualitative comparative case study design, the analysis spans events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Lollapalooza, and NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race. Drawing on numerous secondary sources, the study explores shifts in infrastructure planning, socio-cultural engagement, marketing strategies, and environmental practices. The findings reveal a pivot toward modular infrastructure, hybrid formats, and community-centered governance. The research contributes to event management theory by highlighting emergent adaptive strategies and offering a framework for more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable mega-event planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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17 pages, 1149 KiB  
Article
Rural Tourism Recovery Patterns in the Eastern Carpathians: A Cluster-Based Approach
by Carina Dobre, Elena Toma, Andreea-Cristiana Linca and Adina Magdalena Iorga
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104576 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 534
Abstract
This study explores how rural tourism destinations in the Eastern Carpathians of Romania have recovered in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 2016–2019 and 2021–2023, five core indicators—tourist arrivals, overnight stays, accommodation capacity, occupancy rates, and active units—were analyzed at [...] Read more.
This study explores how rural tourism destinations in the Eastern Carpathians of Romania have recovered in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 2016–2019 and 2021–2023, five core indicators—tourist arrivals, overnight stays, accommodation capacity, occupancy rates, and active units—were analyzed at the local level. Based on these indicators, a cluster analysis was conducted for us to identify groups of communes with similar tourism performance profiles. After clustering, composite indicators were calculated to track how each group evolved over time. The findings show that recovery has not been uniform: while some destinations bounced back or even improved, others continue to face structural challenges. These results suggest that local infrastructure, destination type, and governance capacity all play a role in shaping recovery paths. The paper offers a spatial overview of rural tourism dynamics and highlights the value of using data-driven tools for understanding uneven development in post-crisis contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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15 pages, 551 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Recovery in Health Tourism: Managerial Insights from a Mediterranean Destination during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Emine Erkanli, Hasan Kilic and Ali Ozturen
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 8171; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188171 - 19 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2262
Abstract
Health tourism, a sector that has gained increasing global attention, particularly in the context of sustainable development, is poised for significant growth even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the challenges faced by the health tourism sector in a [...] Read more.
Health tourism, a sector that has gained increasing global attention, particularly in the context of sustainable development, is poised for significant growth even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the challenges faced by the health tourism sector in a small Mediterranean country, focusing on sustainable recovery strategies. The current study aims to determine managerial implications post-COVID-19, emphasizing sustainability in operational practices and long-term demand growth. We conducted in-depth interviews with 32 health tourism managers and experts, and the qualitative content analysis with Leximancer identified key themes such as sustainable demand management, organizational adaptation, and crisis recovery. This study revealed eight critical themes related to managerial survival and the demand for sustainable practices in health tourism, namely “demand”, “hotel”, “tour operators”, “employees”, “crises”, “social media”, “word of mouth”, and “time”. These findings underscore the importance of integrating sustainability into tourism recovery strategies, ensuring long-term resilience for the industry. This study, which provides theoretical and practical insights into the sustainable growth of health tourism amidst global crises, serves as a valuable reference for stakeholders seeking sustainable development solutions, inspiring them to contribute to the sector’s growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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21 pages, 6024 KiB  
Article
Exploring Appropriate Search Engine Data for Interval Tourism Demand Forecasting Responding a Public Crisis in Macao: A Combined Bayesian Model
by Ru-Xin Nie, Chuan Wu and He-Ming Liang
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 6892; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16166892 - 11 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1622
Abstract
Public crises can bring unprecedented damage to the tourism industry and challenges to tourism demand forecasting, which is essential for crisis management and sustainable development. Existing studies mainly focused on point forecasts, but point forecasts may not be enough for the uncertain environments [...] Read more.
Public crises can bring unprecedented damage to the tourism industry and challenges to tourism demand forecasting, which is essential for crisis management and sustainable development. Existing studies mainly focused on point forecasts, but point forecasts may not be enough for the uncertain environments of public crises. This study proposes a combined Bayesian interval tourism demand forecasting model based on a forgetting curve. Moreover, considering tourists’ travel plans may be adjusted due to changing crisis situations, the choice of search engine data for forecasting tourism demand is investigated and incorporated into the proposed model to yield reliable results. Through an empirical study, this study figures out that the Baidu Index had better tourism predictive capabilities before the public crisis, whereas the Google Index effectively captured short-term fluctuations of tourism demand within the crisis period. The results also indicate that integrating both Baidu and Google Index data obtains the best prediction performance after the crisis outbreak. Our main contribution is that this study can generate flexible forecasting results in the interval form, which can effectively handle uncertainties in practice and formulate control measures for practitioners. Another novelty is successfully discovering how to select appropriate search engine data to improve the performance of tourism demand forecasts across different stages of a public crisis, thus benefiting daily operations and crisis management in the tourism sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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35 pages, 377 KiB  
Article
Crisis Management and Sustainability in Tourism Industry: Obstacles and Recovery Strategies after the COVID-19 Crisis in Antalya, Türkiye
by Fatma Cande Yaşar Dinçer, Gözde Yirmibeşoğlu, Müslüme Narin and Filiz Elmas Saraç
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 5121; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125121 - 16 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4294
Abstract
This study aims to examine how tourism enterprises can ensure their sustainability and elude the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis via recovery strategies through semi-structured in-depth interviews, focusing on the tourism industry in Antalya, the first and most important destination in Türkiye, [...] Read more.
This study aims to examine how tourism enterprises can ensure their sustainability and elude the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis via recovery strategies through semi-structured in-depth interviews, focusing on the tourism industry in Antalya, the first and most important destination in Türkiye, in terms of arrivals and nights spent. According to the findings, travel bans and quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on Antalya’s tourism sector. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of personnel in tourism industry, a persisting problem. In managing this crisis, businesses and the state have attempted various recovery strategies. Despite a recovery period since 2021, vulnerabilities in the national economy and increasing inflation rates since COVID-19 have triggered input and living costs. Furthermore, the Ukraine War has adversely affected the sustainability of tourism activities in Antalya. Moreover, due to new regulations regarding retirement in 2023, some middle-level managers in tourism sector have retired, leading to predictions of a potential crisis in upper-level management in the future. According to the study results, cooperation in tourism sector, public–private–university collaboration, and government support play significant roles in achieving full recovery from the crisis and ensuring sustainability in tourism sector activities. The study may contribute to the literature and help industry representatives and policymakers in terms of sustainability in tourism and crisis management recovery strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
14 pages, 610 KiB  
Article
Servicescape Effects on Hotel Guests’ Willingness to Pay Premiums at Different Stages of Pandemic: A Multi-Phase Study
by Alei Fan, Sheryl F. Kline, Yiran Liu and Karen Byrd
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115252 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3504
Abstract
Drawing on servicescape theory, this research investigates guests’ perceptions of and responses to the protection and prevention practices launched by hotels at different stages of the pandemic. The research finds that hotel guests’ general response-efficacy beliefs positively influence their perception of the effectiveness [...] Read more.
Drawing on servicescape theory, this research investigates guests’ perceptions of and responses to the protection and prevention practices launched by hotels at different stages of the pandemic. The research finds that hotel guests’ general response-efficacy beliefs positively influence their perception of the effectiveness of the protection and prevention practices adopted in hotels’ physical and social servicescapes, and such positive relationships also show a significant increase from 2020 to 2021. The servicescape effects’ downstream results show that hotel guests are willing to pay premium prices for safety servicescapes manifested as protection and prevention practices implemented at the private space or related to employees. This research sheds light on servicescape theory by deconstructing the overall hotel servicescape concept into multiple dimensions, particularly in a health threat situation such as the pandemic, and empirically examining each dimension’s effects on guests’ monetary response at different timepoints. From a practical perspective, this study provides managerial insights into which servicescape dimensions warrant operational investments by hotels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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Review

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18 pages, 14527 KiB  
Review
Sustaining the Character of Coastal “Sea Change” Destinations in a Post-Pandemic World
by Raymond James Green
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 5204; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125204 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1268
Abstract
Many smaller coastal towns that rely on tourism for their economic survival have been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have since rebounded, and in some, inbound migration has soared. Unfortunately, this influx of tourists and new residents brings with it increased [...] Read more.
Many smaller coastal towns that rely on tourism for their economic survival have been badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have since rebounded, and in some, inbound migration has soared. Unfortunately, this influx of tourists and new residents brings with it increased development and associated environmental and social changes that often negatively impact the distinctive character and sense of place many of these places possess, which makes them attractive destinations in the first place. Protecting features in the landscape that define the character of these settlements and preventing future changes that would be incompatible with it will be crucial for the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of these ‘sea change’ settlements. Once the distinctive character of these places is lost, it is nearly impossible to recapture. This paper reviews the findings of a suite of studies previously undertaken by the author that explored the perceptions of residents in ten ‘sea change’ settlements, nine in Australia and one in Thailand, regarding how they perceived the character of their towns and what features they felt were compatible or incompatible with that character. In comparing the findings from these studies, a clear pattern emerged in that similar types of landscape features were consistently identified as supporting or detracting from the character of these towns. This allowed a typology of features salient to the character of these types of ‘sea change settlements’ to be formulated, providing insights into this intangible yet highly valuable resource of place character within the context of these types of settlements and establishing a basis for further research in other similar tourism-intensive coastal settlements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tourism Industry Recovery after COVID-19)
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