ABSTRACT

This research aims to investigate the impacts of Covid -19 on Bethlehem and examine the potential recovery strategies for the tourism sector during and after the pandemic. This research contributes in fulfilling intriguing gaps in literature on the impacts of Covid-19 on Bethlehem. All data collected were in the period of August and September 2020. This study is exploratory in nature applying qualitative and quantitative methods. Open-ended questions used in the interviews and the interviews were analysed. In addition, open and closed-ended questions carried out with fifty-two respondents from tourism business owners and key player stakeholders in Bethlehem’s tourism sector. The findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in that all Bethlehem’s tourism sector and sub-sectors suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the worst affected sub-sectors are souvenir stores and accommodation, while the least affected industry in the tourist restaurants sub-sector. The pandemic has resulted in massive job losses in Bethlehem. Bethlehem’s tourism sector has implemented pay cuts and laying off workers as a way of mitigating loss of revenue resulting from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this research provides academic as well as managerial implications.

摘要

本研究旨在调查 Covid -19 对伯利恒的影响，并研究大流行期间和之后旅游业的潜在恢复策略。这项研究有助于填补有关 Covid-19 对伯利恒影响的文献中的有趣空白。收集的所有数据均在 2020 年 8 月和 9 月期间。本研究本质上是探索性的，采用定性和定量方法。访谈中使用的开放式问题并对访谈进行了分析。此外，对来自伯利恒旅游业的旅游企业主和主要参与者利益相关者的 52 名受访者进行了开放式和封闭式问题。调查结果表明，COVID-19 大流行导致伯利恒的所有旅游业和子行业都遭受了 COVID-19 大流行，但是，受影响最严重的子行业是纪念品商店和住宿，而受影响最小的行业是旅游饭店子行业。大流行导致伯利恒大量失业。伯利恒的旅游业已实施减薪和裁员，以减轻因 COVID-19 大流行爆发而造成的收入损失。最后，这项研究提供了学术和管理意义。