TOUR OPERATOR ADJUSTMENT POST COVID-19: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

Tourism is one of the most vulnerable industries and, therefore, it has been affected greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Destination organizations and tourism related businesses are being required to apply new perspectives on destination development and community engagement. Tour operators and travel agents are not exceptions to this rule. This research explored the responses and adaptation of travel agents in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. An in-depth interview approach was utilized in this study. A purposive sampling technique was used in this study. At the early stage of the exploration, five key informants were interviewed. Content analysis was applied to the data. The interviews suggested three key adjustments of local travel agents in response to the COVID-19 event. First, the use of social media was greatly expanded. Second, it is evident that the key informants, especially those focused on domestic travelers, were required to improve their service quality and put the price of travel packages on hold. Finally, the reduction of fixed costs is evident. The key informants shared a few approaches used to cut their costs.