Developing a Pluralistic Model for Marketing-led Crisis Recovery of Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Phuket, Thailand
Keywords:
Crisis management, Recovery strategies, Travel behaviour, Push/pull motives, Mixed methodAbstract
The overall aim of this study is to examine the adequacy of tourism crisis recovery strategies evident in a major international tourism destination vulnerable to tourist downturns. In particular, we explore whether the traditional lagged approach to destination marketing can lead to inefficiencies and how to develop a more effective model for crisis recovery. This study compares tourists’ social-psychological needs with destination capabilities in real time during the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, in using a novel methodological approach. The simultaneous collection of supply-side and demand-side data allows for a meaningful comparison of the effectiveness of recovery strategies, that is absent from most of the literature. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data. Interviews with tourist leaders found a reduced capacity within the destination to offer quality tourism services and a high priority placed on tourist safety. In contrast, a survey of 401 domestic Thai travellers demonstrated that safety concerns were accorded a low priority. Instead, potential domestic travellers were motivated by the quality of services and facilities available. The development of a pluralistic model extends crisis recovery theory by incorporating the early monitoring of the socio-psychological needs of potential travellers into recovery campaigns.
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