Includes bibliographical references.

Travel behaviour after the pandemic: the case of Bulgaria -- In the still of the night: firefly tourism in Mexico -- ustainable tourism practices and business performance from the tour operators’ perspectives -- Spillover effect, positive emotions and savouring processes: Airbnb guests’ perspective -- Beyond travel dreaming, planning, check-in, boarding … stress? -- Social insurance system influence on spa tourism: evidence for Romania -- Medical tourists’ perspectives on the quality of care in Iran -- Crisis management in the Greek hotel industry in response to COVID-19 pandemic -- Spatial inequalities of tourist activity in Greece: a Shift-Share analysis -- Effects of COVID-19 crisis on small and medium-sized hotel operators: insights from Nepal -- Post-COVID-19 Chinese domestic tourism market recovery: potential influence of traditional Chinese medicine on tourist behaviour -- Covid-19: implications for nature and tourism -- Impact of COVID-19 on destination choice: an empirical study on sociodemographic determinants of future travel behaviour -- Chinese residents’ preferences and consuming intentions for hotels after COVID-19 pandemic: a theory of planned behaviour approach -- Proposing “healing tourism” as a post-COVID-19 tourism product -- Medical tourism for COVID-19 post-crisis recovery? -- Sanitation and hygiene as factors for choosing a place to stay: perceptions of the Bulgarian tourists -- COVID-19 and holiday intentions: the case of Crete, Greece -- COVID-19 and the acknowledgement of children as stakeholders of the tourism industry -- The impact of COVID-19 on the foodservice industry in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- Pandemic tourism: the new era of catering sector after Covid-19 -- Customer preferences and self-service technologies:hospitality in the pandemic context -- A review of communication trends due to the pandemic: perspective from airlines -- Measures to be implemented in the hotel buffets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Article Title: Travel behaviour after the pandemic: the case of Bulgaria / Maya Ivanova, Ivan Krasimirov Ivanov and Stanislav Ivanov, p. 1-11]

Abstract: The paper analyses the travel intentions of tourists in the post-pandemic world. The sample includes 974 respondents from Bulgaria. The findings show that most of the respondents are ready to travel within 2 months after travel is allowed in the country. For their first trip, respondents will travel in the country, by their car and with their family. Hygiene, disinfection and reliable health system in a destination will be the leading factors in travellers’ decisions, according to the findings. Women and older respondents have higher health and safety preferences than do men and younger respondents.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1818267

[Article Title: In the still of the night: firefly tourism in Mexico / Raynald Lemelin,Pablo Jaramillo-López,Natalia López-Ocaña and Ek Del-Val, p. 12-22]

Abstract: Excursions to the estimated 55 firefly sanctuaries of Mexico have seen phenomenal growth in the past decade. Visits to three firefly entomotourism destinations in the state of Tlaxcala (Canto del Bosque, Piedra Canteada and Santa Clara), and one in the State of Mexico (Bosque Esmeralda) were made in 2017 and 2018. The goal of these visits was to observe current management approaches, and to develop visitor strategies aimed at mitigating the anthropogenic impacts on the firefly sanctuaries and on the fireflies. Considering the recent interest in firefly entomotourism by the IUCN Firefly Group, findings from this exploratory study are particularly timely as they can be used to inform the protection of fireflies and support appropriate entomotourism opportunities in Mexico.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1819832

[Article Title: Sustainable tourism practices and business performance from the tour operators’ perspectives / Maisarah Abd Hamid,Salmi Mohd Isa and Shaian Kiumarsi, p. 23-32]

Abstract: Sustainable tourism is an upcoming significant practice in the tourism industry. Tour operators are encouraged to participate in sustainable tourism according to their respective roles in the business. Hence, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between sustainable business management practices (SBM) and sustainable destination management practices (SDM) on the tour operator's business performance. The usable questionnaire of 190 was analyzed using the SEM-PLS 3.2.9. The results of the study indicated that both SBM and SDM practices impact the business performance of tour operators. Tour operators are reported to have an added business advantage by adopting these sustainable tourism practices. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into the adoption of sustainable tourism practices in Malaysia.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1830135

[Article Title: Spillover effect, positive emotions and savouring processes: Airbnb guests’ perspective / Erose Sthapit,Peter Björk,Jano Jiménez-BarretoORCID Icon and Matthew J. Stone, p. 33-45]

Abstract: The present study examines spillover from being at home versus away in terms of activities undertaken during on-site Airbnb experiences. This study also integrates the positive psychology concept of savouring by examining the positive emotions savoured by guests based on broaden-and-build theory as well as the savouring processes used when recalling their recent Airbnb experiences. The findings show that informants undertook similar activities while staying at an Airbnb and while at home. The most common positive emotion savoured by guests when remembering their Airbnb experiences was joy, with a homey feeling eliciting this emotion. Location, togetherness and a homey feeling were identified as the dominant factors that intensified informants’ savouring of their Airbnb experiences.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1830136

[Article Title: Beyond travel dreaming, planning, check-in, boarding … stress? / Adarsh Batra, p. 46-58]

Abstract: While many people see taking a vacation as a way to rejuvenate, escape and relieve monotonous life to get away from the stress they may experience in other aspects of their lives, but travelling can also be stressful for a lot of people. A total of 15 international tourists hailing diverse origins participated in qualitative semi-structured interviews. It was found that people, in general, do encounter the most travel stress before and on a vacation or trip. Acknowledging that things might go wrong is the first step in making sure they don’t. Managerial implications are recommended for travel organizations, airline companies, airport customer dealing staff to assist to make the occasion less anxiety-provoking for the traveller.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1844773

[Article Title: Social insurance system influence on spa tourism: evidence for Romania / Camelia Surugiu, Marius-Razvan Surugiu and Raluca Mazilescu, p. 59-69]

Abstract: Romanian spa resorts combine natural cure resources with beautiful landscapes and cultural and historical heritage. After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, most of the hospitality infrastructure remained the same, without any significant investment in upgrading the accommodation structures or treatment facilities. The purpose of this paper is to identify the variables that predict the domestic tourism demand for spa resorts in Romania derived from the literature. The results suggest that the trigger factor to boost the domestic demand remains the tourism offer. Nevertheless, the development of spa tourism in Romania is still possible if some efforts are made, in order to reduce its dependency on the social insurance system.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1850483

[Article Title: Medical tourists’ perspectives on the quality of care in Iran / Rahim Khodayari-Zarnaq, Mahmood Yousefi, Mohammad Hajizadeh and Mahdiyeh Heydari, p. 70-79]

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the gap between the perceptions and expectations of medical tourists towards the quality of services and assess factors responsible for declining medical tourists’ visits in recent years in the metropolitan city of Tabriz, Iran. A total of 160 self-constructed questionnaires were distributed to medical tourists from the Republic of Azerbaijan. The average Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) between expectations and perceptions of medical tourists towards the quality of service was 0.541 (95% confidence interval: 0.214 to 0.806), suggesting only a sufficient level of agreement between expectations and perceptions of services. Increasing costs and lack of a follow-up plan for discharged patients were the key contributors to the decline in the number of medical tourists’ visits.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1850484

[Article Title: Crisis management in the Greek hotel industry in response to COVID-19 pandemic / Odysseas Pavlatos ,Hara Kostakis and Dimitriοs Digkas, p. 80-92]

Abstract: The aim of this research is to investigate crisis management practices in the hotel industry, in light of the new challenges that have emerged during COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, an empirical research was conducted in leading hotels in Greece. The analysis generated five categories of crisis management practices that can be used by the industry for its recovery. Government practices and marketing practices are considered more important than operations practices, cost reduction practices and pricing practices; it has likewise been decided to be used more. We also found that there are differences in the importance and the extent of use of crisis management practices that have been decided by hoteliers, based on the characteristics of their hotels.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1850485

[Article Title: Spatial inequalities of tourist activity in Greece: a Shift-Share analysis / Thomas Krabokoukis and Serafeim Polyzos, p. 93-105]

Abstract: This paper builds on Shift-Share analysis and aims to provide a methodological framework for studying the inequalities of Greek regions in the tourism industry. The method applied to yearly data of overnight stays, both for foreigners, and domestic visitors, for the periods 2003–2008, 2008–2013, 2013–2018, and results showing that disparities among Greek regions are generally very large for the tourism industry. The overall analysis is a useful tool for tourism management and regional policy. The paper advances Shift-Share analysis to be used as a tool of region classification, and it incorporates one-way ANOVA to examine the relationship between the inequalities concerns the policies from the last development law and tourism specialization in Greek regions.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1851271

[Article Title: Effects of COVID-19 crisis on small and medium-sized hotel operators: insights from Nepal / Sandeep Basnyat and Sunil Sharma, p. 106-120]

Abstract: This paper reports on the challenges experienced by small and medium-sized hotel operators during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The data for the current study was collected from Nepal using semi-structured interviews with 15 operators between 13 July and 29 September 2020. The findings of this study reveal how a crisis such as COVID-19 pandemic increases the vulnerability of small and medium-sized hotel operators by weakening their economic conditions and lowering their self-esteem. This study also shows that the feeling of the lack of moral and economic supports from the government further increases vulnerability to failure among small and medium-sized hotel operators. Implications for policymakers and operators of small and medium-sized hotels, particularly in developing countries, have been provided.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2021.1879184

[Article Title: Post-COVID-19 Chinese domestic tourism market recovery: potential influence of traditional Chinese medicine on tourist behaviour / Jun Wen,Carol Chunfeng Wang and Metin Kozak, p. 121-125]

Abstract: According to the World Health Organization (Citation2020), the COVID-19 outbreak has led to more than 3.5 million cases worldwide and claimed 243,540 lives. The pandemic has also shaken various global industries. The Chinese government implemented a lockdown in Wuhan, the city where the first COVID-19 case was reported, on 24 January 2020 – the day before the Spring Festival. The virus is expected to bring a 22 USD billion loss to Chinese outbound tourism and nine million fewer inbound trips (Dass & McDermott, Citation2020). The effects of COVID-19 on China’s domestic tourism sector have been further confirmed by a 68% decline in the first quarter of 2020, followed by a projected 20.6% decline throughout 2020 (Statista, Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1768335

[Article Title: Covid-19: implications for nature and tourism/ Mark Spalding,Lauretta Burke and Alan Fyall, p. 126-127]

Abstract: With the first known case of Covid-19 reported in China on 31 December 2019, 2020 has witnessed the single-biggest disruption to the global tourism industry since records began, with devastating economic impacts. An unexpected outcome of the pandemic, however, has been a range of benefits for the natural environment. For example, the canals of Venice have begun to run clear and some depressed coastal fish-stocks are making tentative steps towards recovery, as both fishing and supply chains have been disrupted (Bennett et al., Citation2020; Braga et al., Citation2020). More extraordinary still, the world has reduced CO2 emissions to where they were a decade ago.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1791524

[Article Title: Impact of COVID-19 on destination choice: an empirical study on sociodemographic determinants of future travel behaviour/ Satyajit Sinha and Bipithalal Balakrishnan Nair, p. 128-131]

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to have drastic effects on the tourism sector and has been predicted to have significant potential to reform future landscapes and servicescapes (Gössling et al., Citation2020). Although the specific stages of recovery and resilience remain uncertain, the revitalization of global tourism is predicted to take considerable time. Therefore, it is essential to adopt the right tone in preferred communication channels and marketing in the current precarious setting of fear of the virus, travel bans, shelter-in-place regulations, and economic downturn (Naumov et al., Citation2020; Prideaux et al., Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1839523

[Article Title: Chinese residents’ preferences and consuming intentions for hotels after COVID-19 pandemic: a theory of planned behaviour approach/ Mengqing Wang,Ziming Jin,Sijing Fan,Xiaoxi Ju and Xiao Xiao, p. 132-135]

Abstract: The outbreak of COVID-19 is projected to change the tourism and hospitality industries dramatically. Although the pandemic has been well controlled in China after April 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on tourism will continue due to the mobility of tourism industry. In the post-pandemic era, several questions have been raised. What are tourists’ preferences for hotels after the pandemic? What factors may affect tourists’ consuming intentions for hotels after the pandemic? Examining these questions will be essential for recovering hospitality and tourism industries and helping hotel managers to design products that can better align consumers’ intentions in the post COVID-19 recovery.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1795894

[Article Title: Proposing “healing tourism” as a post-COVID-19 tourism product/ Siying Ma,Xueyi Zhao,Yuyan Gong and Yana Wengel, p. 136-139]

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world’s tourism industry to a halt in 2020. UNWTO (Citation2020) has estimated annual international tourism to decline by 58–78%. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted not only the economy but also peoples’ physical and mental health. The angst caused by the virus and the lack of social interactions caused immense emotional pressure on people. Recent research has reported significant adverse impacts of COVID-19 on mental health (Fan et al., Citation2020; Zeng et al., Citation2020). Hence, post-pandemic recovery plans must include products that focus on mental healing. However, the tourism industry has not proposed any concept to address the psychological impacts of COVID-19.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1808490

[Article Title: Medical tourism for COVID-19 post-crisis recovery?/ Ferdos Abbaspour,Sanaz Soltani and Aaron Tham, p. 140-143]

Abstract: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that at end May 2020 has resulted in six million global cases (World Health Organization [WHO], Citation2020). The unfolding COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted the tourism industry through a combination of business and health regulations (Ayittey et al., Citation2020). While the tourism industry has faced numerous crises in the past, few studies have explored if medical tourism can be a strategy for post-crisis destination recovery. This research note seeks to fill such gaps by exploring the case of medical tourism to Iran as a post COVID-19 strategy.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1815067

[Article Title: Sanitation and hygiene as factors for choosing a place to stay: perceptions of the Bulgarian tourists/ Nikola Naumov,Desislava Varadzhakova and Alexander Naydenov, p. 144-147]

Abstract: In December 2019, a relatively unknown disease was detected in the city of Wuhan, the capital of the Chinese Hubei province. Identified as a new respiratory virus and largely defined as a novel type of coronavirus (Huang et al., Citation2020), what is known as SARS-CoV-2 but commonly referred as COVID-19, has spread worldwide with unprecedented speed and infection rate. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency on 30 January 2020 which further escalated to a worldwide global pandemic declared on 11 March 2020. At the time of writing in mid-May 2020, around 4.5 million infections had been reported with nearly 300,000 cases with a fatal outcome (John Hopkins University, Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1771742

[Article Title: COVID-19 and holiday intentions: the case of Crete, Greece/ Markos Kourgiantakis,Alexandros Apostolakis and Irini Dimoua, p. 148-151]

Abstract: COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the global tourism sector in an unprecedented manner (Gössling et al., Citation2020; Hall et al., Citation2020). At the current phase of the outbreak, where several tourist destinations have started to relax travel restrictions, important questions that need to be addressed are how far tourists have been affected by the pandemic, and what their current travel intentions are. This paper aims to examine the degree to which tourists’ intentions have been affected as a result of the pandemic. The current research endeavour focuses on the island of Crete as the case study. Crete is the largest island of Greece. It is a famous destination for international and domestic tourists, with more than 40 percent of regional GDP coming from tourism. At the time of the research, there were 15 confirmed COVID – 19 cases throughout the island. This study significantly contributes to the respective literature since it is one of the first surveys offering empirical evidence for travelling behaviour during the pandemic.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1781221

[Article Title: COVID-19 and the acknowledgement of children as stakeholders of the tourism industry/ Hugues Seraphin, p. 152-156]

Abstract: There is a dearth of academic research in tourism involving children (Canosa et al., Citation2018; Séraphin & Gowreesunkar, Citation2020). Tourism and hospitality research to date have focused almost exclusively on adults’ perspectives, often overlooking, if not neglecting, the views of children and young people (Canosa et al., Citation2018a). Many academics are now supporting the fact that children are as important as adults in academic research in tourism (Poria & Timothy, Citation2014; Radic, Citation2017). Despite all the negative impacts of the breakout of COVID-19, the pandemic has also provided opportunities to reviews old practices, and adopt more suitable and up to date one (Prideaux et al., Citation2020), among these are the opportunity to empower children as tourists while informing them about the impacts of COVID-19, and measures to remain safe. The guided walk developed for young consumers in Winchester is the example that is discussed in this study. This study not only contributes to address a gap in the literature but also provides an example of a strategy put in place to empower children to be the tourists of the future (Cullingford, Citation1995).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1856690

[Article Title: The impact of COVID-19 on the foodservice industry in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada/ Hiran Roy,Vikas Gupta,Anisur R. Faroque and Alpa Patel, p. 157-160]

Abstract: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as one of the largest pandemics ever experienced globally and has already affected 216 countries (WHO, Citation2020). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for this deadliest disease. In the end of November 2020, 60 million people have been infected worldwide, with more than 1,427,871 deaths (Worldometers, Citation2020). By the end of November 2020, Canada reported 347,466 cases, of which 277,232 have recovered and 11,710 have resulted in death (Worldometers, Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1857803

[Article Title: Pandemic tourism: the new era of catering sector after Covid-19/ Carolina Fonseca,Cristiana Jorge,Diogo Reis and Manuel do Carmo, p. 161-164]

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic, a worldwide health, social and economic emergency, without any precedent (“UNWTO,” Citation2020), has been impacting the different economic sectors of the countries, namely the tourism sector. In the space of a few months, the global context of Tourism went from overtourism to nontourism (Gössling et al., Citation2020). This is due to the travel restrictions placed by governments taking into account warnings and advices given by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to prevent the spread of this virus. “The cancellation of travel and the closure of borders, makes the tourism industry in several countries practically impossible” (Neto, Citation2020, p. 120).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1851092

[Article Title: Customer preferences and self-service technologies:hospitality in the pandemic context/ André Oliveira,Mariana Maia,Martim Fonseca and Michelle Moraes, p. 165-167]

Abstract: Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the usage of technology which encourages more customers to seek information and companies to offer adaptation (Lee et al., Citation2016; Liu et al., Citation2019; Mastorakis et al., Citation2015; Zailani et al., Citation2015).

In the hospitality industry, the Self-Service Technologies (SSTs) have been adopted by many hotel chains in the past years (Kim et al., Citation2011), and the use of SSTs by consumers occurs at different moments of service encounters (Kattara & El-Said, Citation2013). SSTs can be defined as “technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service independent of direct service employee involvement” (Meuter et al., Citation2000, p. 50). In the hospitality industry, SSTs use has been associated with costumers’ characteristics and extrinsic motivators (Kattara & El-Said, Citation2013; Kim et al., Citation2011).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1851093

[Article Title: A review of communication trends due to the pandemic: perspective from airlines/ Ekaterina Chevtaeva and Basak Denizci Guillet, p. 168-171]

Abstract: The global pandemic of 2020 lead to a decrease in passenger demand by 54.7 percent and losses of 84.3 percent in profit by June (International Air Transport Association [IATA], Citation2020). Many flights got cancelled, and travellers experienced pressure to get a refund or feel unsecured to book upcoming travels. Getting assistance from travel providers, including airlines, was quite challenging during the first phase of the virus outbreak (The New York Times, Citation2020). Moreover, consumer behaviour might change, such as online conferences and meetings that may affect business travel demand. The pandemic influences the essence of marketing and communication in the long run (He & Harris, Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1851094

[Article Title: Measures to be implemented in the hotel buffets during the COVID-19 pandemic/ Nabila Hameed,Ridwan Mahomed and Inês Carvalho, p. 172-175]

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an environment of uncertainty. In the tourism and hospitality industry, its impact has been devastating. In this context, the purpose of this study is to analyse a fundamental element that will undoubtedly undergo a relevant transformation: the buffet. The increase in costs associated with the buffet service, together with the lower capacity of restaurants to guarantee the necessary safety distance, will dramatically decrease the profitability of this service. Therefore, more efficient processes have to be implemented (DeFranco, Citation2020).

https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2020.1851553