Effect of government enforcement actions on resident support for tourism recovery during the COVID-19 crisis in Macao, China

This study investigated the relationship between government enforcement actions, resident satisfaction with government performance, resident trust in government, and resident support for tourism recovery. A survey instrument was designed to evaluate resident satisfaction with six enforcement actions (appropriate, timely, executive ability, sustainable, cooperation with stakeholders, and transparency) taken by the Macao government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each factor had a different effect on satisfaction and trust that influenced the resident support for tourism recovery. This study developed a tool to evaluate government enforcement actions in response to the tourism crisis and provided timely suggestions to the government for tourism recovery. © 2021 Asia Pacific Tourism Association.

Comparing crisis management practices in the hotel industry between initial and pandemic stages of COVID-19

Purpose: Given the increasing number of travel restrictions, the COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a crippling blow to the hotel industry, and the crisis management practices supporting the industry needs are changing as the pandemic continues. This study aims to compare how the hotel industry has responded to this crisis at the initial stage and the pandemic stage. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from hotel managers in Macau in two occasions, namely, early February and early April 2020. Importance-usage-performance analysis was conducted to classify six categories of practices (pricing, marketing, maintenance, human resources, government assistance and epidemic prevention) into four executable crisis management strategies (priority, maintain, low priority and possible overkill) for each stage. Follow-up in-person interviews were conducted to validate the results of the study. Findings: In the initial stage, priority strategies should be applied in all epidemic prevention, pricing and maintenance practices and in two governmental assistance and human resources practices. In the pandemic stage, all epidemic prevention practices remain at the priority quadrant, but two pricing practices are downgraded. Hotels tended to force labour into unpaid vacations (furlough) and postpone office and system maintenance. Governmental assistance should be at a low priority. Originality/value: This study contributes to the knowledge of contingency planning for crisis management across crisis periods. It also demonstrates the processes of importance-usage-performance analysis for researchers to undertake further studies in tourism crisis management. Timely recommendations for governments and hotel industry stakeholders are provided to cope with this crisis. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.