Management Of Global Crisis In Tourism Business: Examining The Marketing Communication Strategies Amidst Pandemic Times For Tours And Travel Agencies In Indonesia.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started in late 2019 has impacted many aspects of human lives significantly. Many countries in the world are limiting the physical interactions between the people, which is believed to be the main cause of the virus spread. This restriction had resulted in a declining phase of economic activities in almost every sector. One particular sector affected heavily by the pandemic is the tourism sector, specifically travel agencies, whose main source of revenue is to provide tours and travel services to the people with travel needs. While people are restricted to travel, there are many agencies struggling to survive due to this reason. This research aims to uncover the marketing communication strategies used by the travel agencies during the pandemic situation, in which these agencies are barely making any revenue from. Using qualitative approach as the research method and constructivism as the paradigm, it is found out from several interviews that both research objects, WITA Tour and Petualang Wisata are mainly utilizing social media marketing as their main strategy to attract tourists during the pandemic, along with several other marketing tools. After the travel restrictions had loosen, these agencies went back to using conventional, direct marketing which is more reliable. Despite the differences, offline and online are effective in promoting the tourism packages and services according to the people’s needs. Moreover, these agencies also gain support from other travel agencies, associations, and local governments in reviving domestic and international tourism.