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Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: Evidence from a

Preliminary Industry Survey

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 APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021 pp. 81–94
e-ISSN 2710–6519

Research Note / Short Communication

Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia:

Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey
Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah
Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Ann Selvaranee Balasingam

Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
Nilai University, Malaysia

Vikneswaran Nair
Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
University of The Bahamas, The Bahamas

Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

© The Author(s) 2021. This article is published with open access by Taylor’s Press.

Abstract: The Movement Control Order (MCO) and travel restrictions to contain the
COVID-19 pandemic have taken a toll on Malaysian tourism and hospitality businesses.
Notably, the tourism business's disruption is likely to continue for many months to come
or beyond, causing unrest to the Malaysian economic sustainability. This study aims to
comprehend the current tourism business trends, the impacts, and the needs arising from
the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, this study gauges the tourism industry’s resilience
and readiness amid the Malaysian government fiscal policies and Central Bank financial
support. The pandemic's impact has been immediate, as respondents for this study reported
a decrease in their tourism sales and revenue. Most respondents reacted positively to the
government’s support. However, they are still uncertain of the industry’s future outlook. This
study recommends that the Malaysian government provide industry players with additional
and tailor-made financial measures to support the tourism industry efficiently.

Keywords: COVID-19, tourism industry, Malaysia, economic impacts

Correspondence: Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

Email: hafizhanafiah@uitm.edu.my

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

82 Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Ann Selvaranee Balasingam, Vikneswaran Nair,
Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

Suggested citation: Hanafiah, M.H., Balasingam, A.S., Nair, V., Jamaluddin, M. R., & Zahari,
M.S.M. (2021). Implications of COVID-19 on tourism businesses in Malaysia: Evidence from
a preliminary industry survey. Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism,
10(1), 81-94.

Introduction
The tourism industry is a significant income contributor to the Malaysian economy.
Tourist receipts in 2019 reached MYR 86.1 billion compared to MYR83.1 billion for
the same period in 2018 (Tourism Malaysia, 2020). Despite its steady and promising
growth, the travel and tourism industry is quite sensitive to crises, including terrorist
attacks, natural disasters, and outbreaks of diseases. Recently, the industry’s bullish
run was disrupted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has and
continues to affect the Malaysian economy adversely. The pandemic is taking a toll on
almost all economic sectors, and the tourism industry is no exception. According to
Malaysian Prime Minister, Tan Seri Muhyiddin Yassin, the outbreak of COVID-19
cost the nation's tourism sector an approximate MYR 3.37 billion within the first
two months of the year (“Malaysia’s PM Muhyiddin”, 2020). Consequently, the Visit
Malaysia Year 2020 (VM2020) campaign was shelved due to the global pandemic
(Rahim, 2020). Further, the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) mentioned
that as of March 16 (before the movement control order was imposed), a total of
170,085 hotel room bookings valued at MYR 68 million had been cancelled, and the
losses are expected to double by the end of the year (Kaur, 2020). MAH also foresaw
that 30% of 4,888 hotels registered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture
(MOTAC) is expected to close down (Ahmad, 2020).
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) also reported
that their revenue during the March 2020 school holiday period dropped by
MYR150 million compared to the previous year (Malek, 2020). Travel agents
also faced a potential liability of around MYR500 million from customers seeking
compensation, regardless of the cancellation and refund policies of various service
providers (Aiman, 2020). MATTA also forecasted that the country’s tourism sector is
expected to take up to 10 months or the earliest by June 2021 to recover and stabilise
once the outbreak is over (Chin, 2020). Nonetheless, the real impact on the global
tourism industry is still unknown. While the downward trend in tourist arrivals can
be attributed to travel restrictions, it is quite clear that COVID-19 had instilled fear
in tourists, which affected their travelling habits (Gani & Singh, 2019). A recent
study by Rosselló, Becken, and Santana-Gallego (2020) found that COVID-19 is
a global phenomenon; the pandemic affected tourists’ immediate behaviour as they
were more reluctant to travel for safety reasons and inflicted an adverse multiplier
effect on various tourism businesses.

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

 Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: 83
Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey

In regard to previous pandemics, the World Bank estimated the cost to the global
economy due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak at around
USD54 billion while the “flu pandemic” caused over USD3 trillion loss in the global
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 (Karabulut, Bilgin, Demir, & Doker, 2020).
Similarly, as the spread of coronavirus widened, world tourism experienced a myriad
of global economic challenges. As history has shown, pandemics pose an immediate
impact, namely on hotels and restaurants, and airlines, due to international travel
restrictions and individual government measures (Liu, Pennington-Gray, & Krieger,
2016; Liu, Moss, & Zhang, 2011; Monterrubio, 2010; Page, Song, & Wu, 2012;
Rosselló et al., 2020). Notably, the international and inbound tourism industry has
become “lifeless” as hotel occupancy rates plummeted, business trips and vacations
were cancelled, and workers were laid off industry-wide (Maliszewska, Mattoo, &
Van Der Mensbrugghe, 2020).
While many researchers claim that the tourism industry embodies resistance
and resilience, its post-crisis recovery does need unique strategies to cope with long-
term impacts. Various tourism researchers have emphasised the importance of crisis
management planning (Avraham, 2018; Hosie & Pforr, 2016; Laws & Prideaux,
2017a; Prayag, 2018) and the benefits of a strategic tourism communications plan
(Avraham & Ketter, 2017; Çakar, 2018; Laws & Prideaux, 2017b; Park, Kim, &
Choi, 2019). As an example, the 9/11 terrorism tragedy and the SARS pandemic
affected the world tourism industry and brought demand-driven changes to the
tourism sector (Laws & Prideaux, 2017a; Laws & Prideaux, 2017b). However,
different crises cause different effects on tourism and the rate of recovery. For crises
involving public health safety, the key management issue is to review the crisis impacts
on businesses. When the crisis includes a perception of risk, especially health, more
comprehensive business strategies appear necessary (Gani & Singh, 2019; Mair,
Ritchie, & Walters, 2016; Zahari, Hanafiah, & Dusi, 2016). Thus, to understand
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic towards the Malaysian tourism industry, it
is essential to account for how the industry players perceive and adjust to the crisis.
Besides, it is necessary to understand what they expect from the crisis triggered by
the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology
A quantitative approach and a cross-sectional study with a self-administered
survey questionnaire were opted for this study. The target population was
the Malaysian tourism and hospitality industry, including travel and tourism
agencies, accommodation providers, recreation and theme parks, spa and wellness
establishments, food and beverage businesses, and meeting, incentive, conference,
and exhibition operators. A non-probability sampling technique, specifically the

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

84 Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Ann Selvaranee Balasingam, Vikneswaran Nair,
Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

purposive sampling method, was adopted. The survey collected a wide range of
information from the respondents, including demographics, business performance,
the impact of COVID-19 and their perceptions towards the government’s monetary
assistance.
The survey instrument was adapted from World Bank’s survey (2020) on COVID-
19’s impact on business firms. The survey instrument was modified to suit the local
tourism setting and was validated via face validity. A pilot test was carried out to
confirm the survey instrument's validity and reliability before the actual data collection.
The survey was conducted for 14 days, from 15 March 2020 until 30 March 2020,
immediately after the Malaysian government announced the stimulus packages for
enterprises impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected using the
online survey modality to ease the survey process during the lockdown (movement
control order) period. The final sample comprised 233 respondents with a valid
response rate of 100%. No missing data were found as the researchers had configured
every item as compulsory using Google Forms. Hence, the respondents were not able
to proceed to the next question without a valid response. The survey data were coded
in Microsoft Excel and analysed using SPSS Statistics V22.

Findings
Business Profiles
A total of 233 Malaysian tourism and hospitality businesses provided their feedback
on their business performance, the impact of COVID-19 and their perceptions
towards the government’s monetary assistance. The data captured included qualitative
and quantitative information specifically related to their business model, strategy,
performance, risks and expectations. Table 1 presents the demographic profile of the
respondents.

Table 1. Demographic profile of respondents

Demographic Profile N %
Type of business
Travel and Tourism Agency 127 56.4
Budget Hotel 36 16.0
Hotel (Star-rated) 28 12.4
Recreation (Theme park etc.) 15 6.7
Spa & Wellness 9 4.0
Food and Beverages 5 2.2
Resort 4 1.8
MICE 1 0.4

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 Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: 85
Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey

Table 1 (con’t)
Demographic Profile N %
Role of respondent
Director / General Manager / Regional Manager 68 30.2
Head of Business Unit / Department 14 6.2
Managing Director/CEO 139 61.8
Senior Manager 4 1.8
Size of business
101 – 200 employees 10 4.4
201 - 300 employees 3 1.3
51 - 100 employees 9 4.0
More than 300 employees 6 2.7
Up to 50 employees 197 87.6
Business location
Wilayah Persekutuan 59 26.2
Selangor 56 24.9
Pahang 21 9.3
Kedah 16 7.1
Kelantan 15 6.7
Negeri Sembilan 13 5.8
Terengganu 13 5.8
Johor 8 3.6
Melaka 5 2.2
Perak 5 2.2
Sarawak 5 2.2
Pulau Pinang 4 1.8
Sabah 4 1.8
Perlis 1 0.4
N=233

Based on Table 1, 56.4% of the respondents represented travel agencies, 16%

budget hotels, 12.4% 3-star hotels, 6.7% theme parks, 4% spa and wellness centres,
and 2.2% food and beverage service providers. A majority of the respondents were
managing directors or directors of hospitality and tourism businesses. In addition,
87.6% of the companies had 50 or fewer employees, and most of them were located
in Wilayah Persekutuan or Selangor, Malaysia.

Business Performance
The respondents were probed on how their business sales turnover, profit, staff
number, and investment changed within the past three months for business
performance. Figure 1 illustrates their feedback.

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86 Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Ann Selvaranee Balasingam, Vikneswaran Nair,
Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

Much reduced Reduced Increased Much increased

200

181
168
150

124
100

50 55
45 48
37
32
4 3 9
2
0
How has your sales How has your profit How have staff numbers How has your investment
turnover changed within changed within past 3 in your company changed changed in the past 3
the past 3 months? months? in the past 3 months? months?

Figure 1. Recent business performance (3 months)

The widespread adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business turnover

was felt right from the early stages. The majority of the respondents claimed that the
COVID-19 pandemic inflicted a significant adverse shock on their businesses. For
the past three months, most businesses reported much-reduced sales turnover, profit
and investments while having retained most of their employees. The majority of them
also admitted that their sales turnover and profits were far below the normal range,
affecting their business investments. Next, the feedback on their expectations for
sales turnover, profit, staff number and investment in the subsequent three months
will be discussed. Figure 2 presents these results.

No change Much reduced Reduced Increased Much increased

200
181
168
150 158
149
124
100

74 80
62
50
48
43 38
13 28 20
5 10 7
15 5 4 5
0 12
How do you expect your How do you expect your How do you expect staff How do you expect your
sales turnover to change profit to changed over the numbers in your company investment to change in the
over the next 3 months? next 3 months? to change in the next 3 next 3 month?
months?

Figure 2. Future expectations of business performance

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

 Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: 87
Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey

As expected, many expressed frustration with what they foresaw as their short-
term earnings performance. More than 80% of them expected their sales, profit and
investments to decrease, as well as a reduction of employees within the next three
months. For the tourism industry, the primary factor impacting their businesses
was the decrease in international and domestic demand due to movement control
order (MCO) and national borders closing. These also resulted in several challenges,
including onsite operations, processing of accounting tasks, and an overall decline in
productivity due to remote working. As a result, they expected that the number or
composition of staff would be structurally altered. Besides, future investments in the
form of asset replacement and acquisition will be drastically affected.

COVID-19’s Impact on the Tourism Industry

A company’s commitment to its guiding principles is often most critically tested
when facing unexpected external incidences or a challenging environment. In this
regard, the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted tourism businesses in many ways.
Figure 3 illustrates how respondents expected COVID-19 would affect their business
sustainability.
181
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree
150
149
130
100 104

79 79 82
68 62
50 52
42 46
37 39
27
19 21
13
0
We do not expect our We do not expect to COVID-19 presents COVID-19 presents
business to be harmed need to change our an opportunity to drive collaboration
as a result of our operating model as a innovation (i.e., new opportunities for my
response to COVID-19 result of COVID-19 products or services) in business (i.e., merger,
our business acquisition)

Figure 3. Business expectations of COVID-19

With the rapid spread of COVID-19 globally, most industry players doubted
that sales would pick up in the following three months, thus anticipating continued
high losses. Notably, 64% of respondents expected their business to be affected, and
they need to change their business operating model. One of the major reasons why
the pandemic is perceived as a threat is that the lockdown has resulted in a substantial
rapid travel demand loss. Consequently, customers cancel their travel bookings, claim
refunds and withhold payments. On the contrary, 43% of the respondents opined

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

that COVID-19 presents an opportunity for them to drive innovation. However,
65% did not perceive that this situation would lead to collaboration opportunities
amongst the industry players. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
employment can only be determined over time, as employment tends to be a lagging
economic indicator. Nevertheless, human resources are essential as a service industry
as online services cannot match up to face-to-face services or are not feasible. The
respondents were also queried on their expectations concerning changes in workforce
size due to the pandemic. Figure 4 reports the findings.

Not at all To a limited extent To a moderate extent A significant extent

100
95 181

75 42
149 73 71 72 73
63 62
50
49
46
43 43
35 32 33 34
25

0
Delivering our products/
services requires
human interaction
Employees are heavily Our workforce is not We expect tp make
reliant on travel to able to effectively work employement
conduct business remotely (WFH), if adjustments
needed

Figure 4. Impact on workforce

The majority of the respondents (82%) expressed that human interaction is an

essential attribute for their business sustainability. More than three-quarters of the
respondents (78%) claimed that remote working was not a feasible option as their
employees need to travel to conduct businesses. Moreover, since schools and childcare
facilities were closed, it was challenging to have an ideal working environment at
home with children being taken care of at the same time. Staggeringly, 31% of the
respondents admitted the necessity to make an immediate workforce adjustment
in order to cope with the pandemic, which may culminate as a new norm for all
businesses to operate. The pandemic's impact has been immediate as respondents had
reported a decrease in their business sales and profit. Although many acknowledged
that it would be premature to measure the full effects, most believed that this would
have long-term implications on their company and the whole supply chain as they
expect this disruption to last for at least six months. This study further surveyed their
business strategies for absorbing the impact of COVID-19, and Figure 5 presents
their responses.
 Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: 89
Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey

Not likely Somewhat likely Very likely

200
190

150

100
95

72 72 72
66
50 57 53
50 49
33 37
4 9 9 8
3 8 3 13 3 3 5 1
0
Review Cut Down Expansion Retrenchment Explore Explore Reduce No Action
Business investment Plan Put On New New Operation Taken
Plan Hold Market Business Costs

Figure 5. Business strategies to absorb the impact of COVID-19

Most industry players intended to review and revise their business plan and
trim down their planned investment. They also planned to explore new markets
and businesses to stay afloat and reduce operational costs. They have also considered
changing their business operation model, opportunities to drive innovation and
possibly venture into collaborative opportunities, like mergers and acquisitions.
Startlingly, most of the respondents also claimed that they would take no action,
as they are expecting the COVID-19 issues to ease off within the next few months.
This response could be due to the confusion caused by the Malaysian government’s
inability to confirm the MCO's length, which understandably is a challenge for any
government globally.

Government Assistance
The paper also evaluated the impact of various policy interventions. The Malaysian
government had to resort to drastic measures to prevent and control the COVID-19
pandemic at all levels. In term of business survivability, the Malaysian government
has provided a lot of support to SMEs and large businesses, self-employed workers to
prevent businesses from going bust and individuals losing their livelihood. Besides,
such initiatives are intended to protect workers from becoming unemployed and
ensuring that tourism and hospitality businesses remain financially viable once the
lockdown is lifted. At the onset of the national lockdown, the government quickly
announced an allocation of MYR100 billion under the PRIHATIN Rakyat Economic
Stimulus Package to support businesses. Further, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)
announced a 6-month blanket moratorium where businesses were given deferment
on all loan/financing repayments for six months to soften any financial loss incurred.

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

90 Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Ann Selvaranee Balasingam, Vikneswaran Nair,
Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

In addition, the allocation for the Special Relief Facility (SRF) was raised from MYR
2 billion to MYR 5 billion, to provide relief assistance to more SMEs, who were
the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. SMEs can also avail themselves
with three other facilities under the Fund, namely the All Economic Sectors (AES)
Facility, Automation and Digitalisation Facility (ADF), Agrofood Facility (AF) and
Micro Enterprises Facility (MEF) (Bank Negara Malaysia, 2020). Moreover, the
government also subsidised electricity bills and postponed tax instalment payments
to affected businesses in the tourism sector for up to six months.
Most respondents reacted positively to the government’s support thus far, with
almost three quarters saying that it was helpful. Many of the respondents declared that
they had pursued the many financial mechanisms made available, with 63% applying
the governments’ financial aid schemes. When probed whether the financial measures
are sufficient, most of them were unsure (46.7%), while 35.6% claimed that they were
not enough. In short, while the government assistance offered to the businesses are well
received, it may still be insufficient. Some have also voiced their concerns about the
lack of clarity of these aid schemes. Besides, most of them highlighted their concern on
the lack of industry-specific advice on whether they should remain open or close and
the difficulty of applying for financial support. For a more in-depth understanding,
the study further investigated the type of support businesses needed to mitigate the
pandemic’s impact. Figure 6 depicts the types of support tourism businesses require in
addition to the government assistance thus far.

Other 2.1%

Business grants 6.8%

Training/Human
resource 7.5% Extended
moratorium
20.8%
Taxation relaxation
10.6%

Business advice Wage subsidies

13.3% 20.2%

Technological
expertise
18.6%

Figure 6. Additional support needed by the tourism and hospitality businesses

APJIHT Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2021

 Implications of COVID-19 on Tourism Businesses in Malaysia: 91
Evidence from a Preliminary Industry Survey

Although the government has provided financial support to businesses most

affected by the pandemic, more could be done as reflected by the responses received.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on small and medium-sized enterprises revealed
by business surveys shows that small businesses are severely disturbed and proprietors
are worried. Business owners or managers requested support in terms of business
grants, wage subsidies, tax reliefs, extended moratorium period, business advice in
terms of risk management and strategic planning, technological expertise, and training
and human capital development. This will facilitate access to liquidity support and
short-term financial relief, allowing tourism companies to retain employees while
providing basic income support or paid vacation.

Implications and Conclusion

Despite the government's sizeable stimulus packages, the future of the tourism and
hospitality industry in Malaysia looks bleak. After the first MCO, some industries
have gradually opened up. However, the required Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) such as social distancing rules and MCO continue to hamper the tourism
industry's swift recovery. Even with the initial stimulus packages, the financial
situation of tourism business players has worsened. As a result, the Malaysian
government issued a second round of stimulus plan valued at MYR 250 billion
ringgits to support the enterprises, especially the SMEs. However, as experts claimed
that the tourism industry would only recover in 2022, the government must find a
way to continue supporting businesses and ensuring that the tourism and hospitality
business supply chain will thrive once the lockdown is lifted. Since opening the
industry is more challenging than closing its industry, a balanced and prudent
approach is needed from the government by providing continuous guidance and
support for the recovery and rebound of the tourism sector.
As the spread of COVID-19 widens and more nations begin limiting travel
facilities and abilities, this crisis could pose a long-term impact on the tourism
industry. Thus, special attention needs to be paid especially by tourism-dependent
destinations, including those that rely heavily on international supply markets. The
study believes that the tourism sector needs to keep an eye on the future, remain
optimistic and be ready when restrictions are lifted and demand for travel and
vacations returns. Promisingly, people will travel again, but their travel behaviour
would change. This crisis provides an opportunity to rethink the tourism system to
create a more sustainable and resilient future. Thus, tourism businesses need to learn
and re-learn fast to prepare for a sharp increase in holidaymakers post COVID-19.
Notably, new tourism norms are being formed, and tourism businesses must be
ready to innovate and change their operations accordingly.
With the heightened levels of travel anxiety and concerns, COVID-19 would affect
future travel behaviour, preferences, and willingness to travel. Thus, the Ministry of

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92 Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Ann Selvaranee Balasingam, Vikneswaran Nair,
Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin and Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zahari

Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and the Tourism Promotion Board of Malaysia
(Tourism Malaysia) need to understand post-COVID-19 tourist behaviours and how
they will influence future travel preferences and willingness to travel. Accordingly,
understanding the effects of COVID-19 on tourist behaviours and willingness to
travel would provide essential insights and guidance for tourism policymakers and
practitioners to maintain business continuity within the tourism ecosystem and ensure
tourism resilience in any future crises. Besides, tourism operators and destinations
need to adapt their products accordingly to the modified travel behaviour. Thus, this
is an excellent time to redesign our strategies and engage the stakeholders, including
hoteliers, tour operators, food and beverages outlet owners and the media. The
policymakers and stakeholders should perhaps work urgently on at least immediate
short-range solutions before more permanent solutions can take their place. It would
be useful for policymakers (MOTAC) to regulate and modify relevant tourism policies
and stimulus packages or incentives to support and inspire local industry players such
as transport providers, accommodation operators, licensed travel agents, tour guides,
tourism product operators, food outlets, and handicraft/souvenirs suppliers to be more
aggressive in promoting domestic tourism, especially in the COVID-19 recovery
period. In return, this would help to regenerate the local economy.
This crisis provides an opportunity for us to rethink and innovate. Even though the
Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign was cancelled, the spirit of tourism should continue. The
researchers believed that the most practical short-term strategy is to rebrand Cuti-Cuti
Malaysia as the premier tourism driver with necessary adjustments in light of the MCO and
other measures to curtail the deadly coronavirus. By fine-tuning the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia
marketing plan and communication strategy, the country may have a better chance of
rejuvenating the tourism industry, a significant income generator. The idea is not too
far-fetched nor implausible, or even bizarre, considering that domestic tourism offers the
prospects of keeping hotels, homestays and resorts open for guests, visitors and family groups.
Notably, COVID-19 showed that hospitality and tourism players need to be flexible amid
the pandemic and economic uncertainties. Besides, a recurrence of similar COVID-19-
style outbreaks in the future is possible. This unprecedented (or maybe a future norm) event
has changed the way industry players operate their businesses and craft future strategies.
Open Access: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License (CC-BY 4.0) which permits any use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

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