Assignment Sample on TOU1011 Tourism and Society

Introduction

The outbreak of the Covid-19 has affected the global tourism sector in a profound way which has created uncertainties in the global tourism industry and its impacts are multifarious. In this reflection, a detailed analysis will be done on the various aspects of tourism and the ways in which the outbreak of the pandemic has impacted the tourism sector.

Critical reflection

Week 1 – Impact

The outbreak of the Covid-19 has impacted every industry and all the businesses have witnessed a severe crisis due to it and the tourism sector is no exception to the phenomenon which ultimately resulted in huge number of job losses. The global tourism industry contributes significantly to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries and for example it may be stated that about 15% of the GDP of Spain and about 13% GDP of Italy comes from the tourism industry (The Guardian. 2021). On the other hand, I may mention that the outbreak of the pandemic has impacted every part of the world, however, Europe faced a huge crisis as it is one of the most famous as well as attractive regions for the tourists of all over the world. Furthermore, I may assert that many tourism businesses were running on loss due to issues relating to poor management and constant decrease in profit margin of the companies and all these strategic issues suffered even worse due to the outbreak of the Covid-19.

Additionally, I may opine that the pandemic has hit the growth of the global GDP by 3% yet it has been able to recover, however, the tourism industry has not seen such a recovery (Refer to Appendix-1). On a contradictory note, I have also found that there has been a sharp decline in spending on tourism where a 63% decrease has been observed in the global tourism receipts (Refer to Appendix-1). On a broader note, I may strongly argue that the UK is one of the most badly affected countries where 75% job losses have impacted the tourism sector in an immensely negative way where 50% decline in domestic tourism and 80% decline in overseas tourism has been observed (Refer to Appendix-2). In other words, I may mention without any doubt that the spread of the Covid-19 has also impacted the economy gravely where the airlines also faced challenges and due to this reason 40% of the global fleet has been reduced (Refer to Appendix-3). In a more specific way, I may assert that immense loss has been witnessed by the airports where the number of passengers fell by 96% and the estimated loss is about $1 billion (Refer to Appendix-3).

However, I have also found that the business of the hotels also got badly affected due to the pandemic where occupancy rates have gone down to 20% from 70% in average in the USA and by 5% in other popular regions (Refer to Appendix-4). Additionally, I may state that 70% to 80% of the workforce went working on furlough schemes in the hotels of the UK which clearly shows the impact of the pandemic in the hotel industry (Refer to Appendix-4). The Covid-19 has impacted the UK and its economy in a profound way where £201 billion which is 8.8% of the GDP of the country got affected and its consequences are clear on the economic growth of the country (Keogh-Brown et al., 2020).

Week 2 – Response

It may not be denied at any cost that the outbreak of the Covid-19 has entirely shattered the tourism industry to a great extent and its recovery will definitely take some time to bounce back properly. According to an estimation made by the United Nations (UN) Tourism Organization, the amount of earning from the international tourism industry may go down by almost 80% due to the outbreak of the pandemic which is an alarming figure in itself (The Guardian. 2021). I may assert that although the pandemic has made a deep impact on the global tourism industry, significant efforts have been made to normalize the situation where extensive support has been provided to workers in the industry. Along with this, I may also opine that the government has taken various initiatives to boost the situation by implementing certain major changes including deferred tax, by launching several marketing campaigns for domestic as well as international tourism.

Apart from this, it may be mentioned that the government has also introduced some packages that will definitely prove beneficial in supporting tourism infrastructure. On the other hand, I may also state that the government has allocated £1.5 billion for culture recovery funds which will certainly provide support to various events relating to art and museums (Refer to Appendix-5). Moreover, I truly believe that the decision of providing financial assistance to various organizations related to destination management will prove fruitful in boosting tourism to some extent. On a broader note, I may imply that extensive lockdowns implemented by the government have reduced the movement of people and has affected the tourism industry in the UK which has ultimately caused a strain in the business.

On a broader note, I may strongly argue that preserving human resources is one of the most essential aspects of recovery where restrictions imposed on human movement may impact the tourism industry in a negative way, yet it will prove beneficial in saving lives which is also equally important as saving the economy. In addition to this, the Government of the UK has launched the Tourism Recovery Plan which is expected to bring significant changes in the tourism industry where the Government has provided £25 billion for the tourism, hospitality and leisure sector in the form of several grants (GOV.UK. 2021). I may assert that the plan will definitely recover the tourism sector of the UK and assist the Government in generating revenue from tourism which will ultimately play a significant role in boosting the national income of the country. In other words, I may state that all the necessary steps have been taken by the government of the UK to adopt the changes in a proper way.

Week 3 – The future

I truly believe that the tourism industry will certainly revive with full vigour and proper strategic planning which will enable the industry to generate revenue along with maintaining sustainability. However, the rate of recovery is different for different regions of the UK and for example it may be mentioned that greater London has shown weakest recovery rates in terms of hotel room occupancy (Ons.gov.uk. 2021). Furthermore, I may argue that the outbreak of the pandemic has also provided the country immense opportunities in restructuring as well as reshaping its tourism. On a broader note, I may assert that there is no denying the fact that Covid-19 has impacted the tourism industry in a negative way where de globalisation has taken place, yet it has also opened new doors which may lead to new ways of strengthening the entire tourism industry and bring a new dimension of success in the future. In the new phase of the post pandemic world of tourism, all the business companies and organizations are required to reconsider the three factors including planet, people and profit.

Apart from this, I may strongly argue that preventive measures are to be given utmost importance in order to prevent further spread of Covid-19 and the awareness levels of people about the virus is to be increased which may encourage safe travel conditions for every tourist. On a contradictory note, I may opine that every person associated with the tourism industry is to be trained and prepared in such a way that the tourism industry may carry out its activities while maintaining all the protocols provided by the government. In other words, I may imply that changes in leadership roles are to be encouraged as well as implemented for generating desirable outcomes from the tourism industry which has become extremely important in the post pandemic situation.

Moreover, I believe that the post pandemic phase has generated a new vision in the tourism industry where adopting a diversified approach towards various types of tourism is going to be the new future of the tourism industry. Additionally, it needs to be implied that according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the 2030 Agenda aims towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in tourism through implementing a strategic framework which will include investment in the field of technology and human resources (Unwto.org. 2021). However, I strongly feel that adhering to all the preventive protocols and health safety measures is extremely important in order to maintain a healthy environment which will enhance the experience of the tourists in the future.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it may be clearly concluded that the tourism industry is one of the most important industries in the world which contributes significantly in the economic development of a country and needs to be dealt with utmost care and precision in order to regenerate growth and development in the tourism sector.

References

GOV.UK. 2021. Tourism Recovery Plan. [online] Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tourism-recovery-plan> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

Keogh-Brown, M.R., Jensen, H.T., Edmunds, W.J. and Smith, R.D., 2020. The impact of Covid-19, associated behaviours and policies on the UK economy: A computable general equilibrium model. SSM-population health, 12, p.100651.

Ons.gov.uk. 2021. Coronavirus and the impact on the UK travel and tourism industry – Office for National Statistics. [online] Available at: <https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/tourismindustry/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactontheuktravelandtourismindustry/2021-02-15> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

The Guardian. 2021. ‘No one comes here any more’: the human cost as Covid wipes out tourism. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/aug/19/no-one-comes-here-any-more-the-human-cost-as-covid-wipes-out-tourism> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

The Guardian. 2021. The end of tourism?. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/18/end-of-tourism-coronavirus-pandemic-travel-industry> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

Unwto.org. 2021. Home | UNWTO. [online] Available at: <https://www.unwto.org/> [Accessed 9 November 2021].

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