Name: Asmizan Binti Sudin

Matric. No: BB19110590

Based on the news cutting entitled "Time for hotels to promote

sustainable tourism efforts", provide an opinion on why sustainable
tourism is critical to the recovery plan for a hospitality firm after the
Covid19 pandemic.

The spread of the Covid19 pandemic has caused a terrible blow to the economy of
the entire world, and the hospitality business has been among the sectors that have
been impacted the most severely. Hospitality businesses that implement sustainable
tourism practises have the potential to increase the number of customers who are
environmentally conscious, reduce expenses, develop new revenue streams, provide
employment opportunities, and stimulate the local economy. Sustainable tourism
practises can also help to attract tourists from other countries and increase tourism
receipts, both of which can give the economy with a much-required boost.

Because this is the first time anything like this has happened, it is more
crucial than ever for hospitality businesses to incorporate environmentally
responsible tourist practises into their recovery strategies. In light of this, I maintain
that we should expect continued high levels of uncertainty over the future of the
tourism industry. As the pandemic caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) continues
to strike hard, it is anticipated that international tourism will drop by around 80
percent. Domestic tourism is aiding in softening the hit, at least to a certain amount,
and governments have moved admirably quickly to restore and reactivate the
industry while safeguarding employment and businesses.

Beyond this, it is critical to take steps to learn from the disaster, which has
shown weaknesses in government and corporate readiness and response
capabilities. While adaptive policy solutions are required to allow the tourism sector
to live with the virus in the short to medium term, it is also necessary to go beyond
this. It is absolutely necessary to take action that is coordinated across all levels of
government as well as the commercial sector (Rebuilding Tourism Competitiveness,
Tourism Response (WB 2020), Page 205)].

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 The impacts of the epidemic on the tourism business have been continually
overshadowed by changes in the sanitary status and containment measures.
Sustainability may become more prominent in tourism choices as a result of
increased awareness of climate change and the adverse impacts of tourism.
Particularly problematic are the Covid 19 regulations, which make the situation
challenging for both the commercial sector and the customers that use it. As
individuals become more interested in staying local and travelling to destinations
within their own country, it is anticipated that domestic tourism would experience
growth. Additionally, traveller confidence has taken a significant knock as a direct
result of the Crisis as well as the current uncertainties. Because of this, there is a
possibility that demand and tourists will decrease (UNWTO, World Tourism Volume
18, Issues 6, October 2020).

There are several reasons why sustainable tourism is critical to the recovery
of the hospitality industry post-Covid19. To begin, environmentally responsible
tourism practises have the potential to lessen the negative effects that the
hospitality business has on the surrounding environment. This is one of the primary
worries that customers have in the post-Covid19 era. Hospitality businesses may
demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and appeal to customers who are
more environmentally concerned if they take steps to reduce the environmental
effect caused by their operations.

Additionally, hospitality businesses who implement sustainable tourism

practises may see a reduction in operating expenses and an increase in their bottom
line as a result. For instance, hospitality businesses can reduce their overall
operating expenses and their energy consumption by making investments in
technologies that are more energy efficient and by adopting construction materials
that are more environmentally friendly. Additionally, hospitality companies can
benefit from new revenue streams that can be created through the use of
sustainable tourism principles. Hospitality businesses, for instance, can entice new
clients with an interest in sustainable tourism by presenting them with opportunities
to participate in ecotourism or by providing environmentally conscious lodging
options.

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 Lastly, tourism practises that are more sustainable can also serve to
contribute to the creation of jobs and the expansion of the local economy.
Hospitality businesses have the opportunity to contribute to the economic growth of
their communities and to the creation of new employment in the tourist industry if
they make investments in projects that promote sustainable tourism. In the
aftermath of the Covid19 pandemic, sustainable tourism practises may also help to
attract international tourists and increase tourism receipts, both of which may
provide a much-needed boost to the economy.

In general, the rehabilitation of the hospitality business following the

COVID19 pandemic will be severely hindered without the implementation of
sustainable tourism practises. Hospitality businesses that implement sustainable
tourism practises have the potential to increase the number of customers who are
environmentally conscious, reduce expenses, develop new revenue streams, provide
employment opportunities, and stimulate the local economy.

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References

Kaushal, V., & Srivastava, S. (2021). Hospitality and tourism industry amid COVID-19
pandemic: Perspectives on challenges and learnings from India. International
journal of hospitality management, 92, 102707.

OECD (Ed.). (2020). Rebuilding tourism for the future: Covid-19 policy responses
and recovery. OECD. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from
https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/rebuilding-tourism-for-
the-future-covid-19-policy-responses-and-recovery-bced9859/

Rodríguez-Antón, J. M., & Alonso-Almeida, M. D. M. (2020). COVID-19 impacts and

recovery strategies: The case of the hospitality industry in Spain.
Sustainability, 12(20), 8599.

UNWTO (Ed.). (2020, October). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and statistical
annex, October 2020. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer (English version).
Retrieved June 23, 2022, from
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/abs/10.18111/wtobarometereng.2020.18.1.6