Social costs of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic

Richard T R Qiu; Jinah Park; ShiNa Li; Haiyan Song

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2020.102994

Social costs of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ann Tour Res. 2020 Sep:84:102994. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2020.102994. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Authors

Richard T R Qiu¹, Jinah Park², ShiNa Li³, Haiyan Song²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao, China.
² Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
³ School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China.

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is currently spreading across the world at an alarming rate, resulting in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Amidst this crisis, tourism scholars are directing their attention to communities at tourist destinations, looking at their safety and well-being and the costs that they will bear due to the cessation of tourism activity. This article describes residents' perceptions of the risks posed by tourism activity, and estimates their willingness to pay to reduce public health risks based on hypothetical scenarios, using the triple-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method. The social costs in three urban destinations are assessed and compared. Based on the findings, suggestions are made for appropriate post-pandemic recovery actions by local authorities and tourism organizations.

Keywords: Contingent valuation method; Pandemic crisis; Social cost; Tourism impact; Willingness to pay.