Time-varying foreign currency risk of world tourism industry: effects of COVID-19

Abstract

The effect of excessive volatility in world market currencies caused by COVID-19, especially on the tourism industry, is pervasive. This paper examines the foreign currency risk of 131 tourism firms from 19 countries during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and compares it with the pre-COVID-19 period to analyse the time-variation of firms’ exposure. The study provides evidence that firms face significantly higher currency risk during this pandemic, whereby firm-specific variables, such as operational efficiency, leverage and hedging, are significant determinants of firms’ currency risk in the tourism industry.