Bootstrapping tourism post-COVID-19: A systems thinking approach

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has disturbed industries globally. Unlike agriculture and manufacturing, the services sector, particularly tourism, which primarily involves social activities requiring human interaction, is devastated. Against the backdrop of measures to contain the pandemic, travel behaviors have altered. Without an effective recovery plan, the effect of the pandemic on tourism may be felt over a prolonged period of time. With the objective of contributing to a better understanding of how tourism can recover, we use systems thinking to recommend interventions to help restart local tourism. Through causal loop diagrams, we argue that rebooting tourism is key to rebooting the economy. We propose insights for policy action well before the crisis deepens and permanently derails the tourism industry.