COVID-19-Induced Redundancy and Socio-Psychological Well-Being of Tourism Employees: Implications for Organizational Recovery in a Resource-Scarce Context.

Drawing on social and psychological well-being literature underpinned by the concept of resilience, this study examines the impact of COVID-19 induced redundancy on the socio-psychological well-being of redundant employees (laid-off or working reduced hours), and its effect on their commitment to work and support recovery in the tourism industry. Utilizing a quantitative-dominant mixed methods design, 457 questionnaires were administered, and 15 interviews conducted with redundant employees in Ghana between May and August 2020. Results from a binary logistic regression analysis of the survey data supported by qualitative interview analysis indicate that marital status, education, status of dependents, and the types of tourism businesses employed in, significantly influenced psychological well-being while marital status, age, education, and rank in the organization influenced the social well-being of respondents. Meanwhile, psychological well-being significantly influenced future work commitment in the industry. Managerial implications for supporting employee resilience, well-being, and future recovery strategies are critically examined.

Tourists' perception of beach litter and willingness to participate in beach clean-up.

While tourists contribute to and suffer the consequences of beach litter, studies on beach clean-up exercises have mostly neglected them and overly focused on resident beach goers. Based on a sample of 685 international tourists in Ghana, this paper examines the perception of international tourists on beach litter and the determinants of their willingness to participate in beach clean-up as an experiential activity during their visits to Ghanaian beaches. The findings reveal that international tourists have negative perceptions of beach litter, constructed along four domains, namely health, recreational activity participation, aesthetic, and coastal environment. Further, sex, age, educational attainment, continent of origin, travel party status, environmental value, and perception of beach litter significantly influence the willingness of the tourists to participate in beach clean-ups. The implications of these findings in the context of beach litter management at coastal resorts and destinations are discussed.

Policy responses to reduce single-use plastic marine pollution in the Caribbean.

Caribbean economies depend heavily on a healthy marine ecosystem, but the region includes ten of the top global marine polluters per capita. Regional marine pollution is driven by illegal plastic waste dumping due to poor waste management systems with limited recycling, and weak enforcement. Governments recognize the impacts of marine debris on their social and economic well-being and have responded with policies to curb plastic pollution. Most focus on bans of single-use plastic and polystyrene, which comprises ~80% of Caribbean marine litter. However, there is little comparative analysis of policy responses to determine their efficacy. This paper reviews current policies in 13 English-speaking Caribbean countries, exploring tools used and process of implementation. Eleven have introduced legislative policies, with seven including fines and penalties for non-compliance. All successful policies involve multiple tools, including primary stakeholder engagement, sufficient lead time between policy announcement and implementation, and extensive public education campaigns.