PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The effects of COVID-19 on the tourism industry are widely discussed in international literature, but research on its impact on small businesses, such as guest houses, remains limited. This study examines the effects of the pandemic on the development and well-being of the guest house community in the Maldives. It focuses on those affected by the temporary restrictive measures on the business. The qualitative study involves interviews with 10 Maldivian guest house owners conducted via Zoom and Google Meet. The data are analysed using content analysis, and common themes and patterns are identified from the participants’ verbatim interview transcripts. The practical implications, limitations, and future research recommendations are discussed, including examining guest house tourism resilience. The findings reveal that most guest house managers were unprepared for a pandemic of this magnitude, and government assistance for guest house recovery was insufficient. This study provides valuable insights to decision-makers and policymakers, aiding in understanding the pandemic’s impact on guest houses, formulating community recovery strategies, and preparing for potential natural or man-made disasters.

• Ahmed, M. (2018). Guesthouses in the Maldives: Towards community-based tourism. International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, 4(1), 44-50. https://doi.org/10.18775/ijied.1849-7551-7020.2015.41.2004
  
  American Hotel and Lodging Association. (2020, March 6). Hotels are united on safe stay. AHLA. https://www.ahla.com/safestay
  
  Avas. (2020, September 15). Local tourism sector expresses concerns to tourism minister. Avas.mv - Maldives news leader. https://avas.mv/en/88805
  
  Balasubramanian, K., & Hanafiah, M. H. (2022). What innovations would enable the tourism and hospitality industry in Malaysia to rebuild? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 14(6), 596-603. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-05-2022-0057.
  
  Balasubramanian, K., & Konar, R. (2022). Moving forward with augmented reality menu: Changes in food consumption behaviour patterns. Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism, 11(3), 91-96.
  
  Bisby, A. (2020, March 17). Coronavirus-fuelled tourism meltdown yields pros and cons for conservation. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com
  
  Bhaskara, G., Filimonau, V., Wijaya, N., & Suryasih, I. (2020). The future of tourism in light of increasing natural disasters. Journal of Tourism Futures, 7(2), 174-178. https://doi.org/10.1108/jtf-10-2019-0107
  
  Carr, A. (2020). COVID-19, indigenous peoples and tourism: A view from New Zealand. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 491-502. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1768433
  
  Chang, J. Y. S., Konar, R., Cheah, J. H., & Lim, X. J. (2024). Does privacy still matter in smart technology experience? A conditional mediation analysis. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 12(1), 71-86. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-023-00240-8
  
  Chemli, S., Toanoglou, M., & Valeri, M. (2022). The impact of Covid-19 media coverage on tourist’s awareness for future travelling. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(2), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1846502
  
  Chia, K. W., & Muiz, A. (2020). The nature and challenges of guest house business in the Maldives: An exploratory study. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 21(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358420926688.
  
  Connor, P. (2020, April 14). More than nine-in-ten people worldwide live in countries with travel restrictions amid COVID-19. Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.pewresearch.org
  
  COVID-19 Response. (2020a). Phase I - Measures to ease lockdown. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.gov.mv/en/covid19/publications/measures-to-ease-lockdown
  
  COVID-19 Response. (2020b). Phase III - Measures to Ease Lockdown. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.gov.mv/en/covid19/news-and-communications/phase-iii-measures-to-ease-lockdown
  
  Cripps, K. (2020, July 16). The Maldives is now open to all global tourists. Here is how they are doing it. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/maldives-reopens-tourism/index.html
  
  Davahli, M., R., Karwowski, W., S., S., & Apostolopoulos, Y. (2020). The hospitality industry in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Current topics and research methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7366. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207366
  
  Donbak, E. R., Kirpik, G., & Valeri, M. (2022). An overview of crisis management in hospitality enterprises: The case of operating at an international level hotel in adiyaman. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Tourism risk (pp. 81-102). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-708-520221006
  
  European Parliament. (2020a). COVID-19 and the tourism sector. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2020/649368/
  EPRS_ATA(2020)649368_EN.pdf
  
  European Parliament. (2020b). Economic impact of epidemics and pandemics. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/646195/
  EPRS_BRI(2020)646195_EN.pdf
  
  Hadad-Zervos, F. (2022). Beyond tourism: The evolving narrative of Maldives’ growth. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/beyond-tourism-evolving-narrative-maldives-growth#:~:text=Tourism%20and%20related%20
  services%20directly,all%20corners%20of%20the%20archipelago.
  
  Hall, C. (2012). Island, islands, vulnerability and resilience. Tourism Recreation Research, 37(2), 177-181. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2012.11081703
  
  Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2020). Socialising tourism for social and ecological justice after COVID-19. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 610-623. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1757748
  
  International Air Transport Association. (2020). IATA Annual Review 2020. Retrieved from January 15, 2024, https://www.iata.org/contentassets/c81222d96c9a4e0bb4ff6ced0126f0bb/iata-annual-review-2020.pdf
  
  International Labour Organization. (2020a). COVID-19 and employment in the tourism sector: Impact and response in Asia and the Pacific. In the tourism sector: ILO research highlights massive COVID-19 impact on tourism employment in Asia and the Pacific (pp., 12-15). ILO.
  
  International Labour Organization. (2020b). Thematic brief: COVID-19 and employment in the tourism sector: Impact and response in Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/briefingnote/wcms_742664.pdf
  
  Israeli, A. A., & Reichel, A. (2003). Hospitality crisis management practices: The Israeli case. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 22(4), 353-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0278-4319(03)00070-7
  
  Januzi, S. (2020, July 29). EU to remove Algeria from its list of safe third-countries. Schengen.news. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-to-remove-algeria-from-its-list-of-safe-third-countries/
  
  Kiryakova-Dineva, T., & Bozhkova, R. (2021). Public health risk environment for Bulgarian SMEs (guest houses and Family Hotels) in the COVID-19 pandemic. In D. Toubes & N. Araújo-Vila (Eds.), Risk, crisis, and disaster management in small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (pp. 77-102). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6996-2.ch004
  
  Koliopoulos, T., & Valeri, M. (2022). Efficient healthcare policy and engineering management facilities for planning sustainable tourism development in post-covid-19 crisis recovery. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Tourism risk (pp. 155-162). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-708-520221011
  
  Kubíčková, H., & Holešinská, A. (2022). Strategies of tourism service providers to cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic. DETUROPE - the Central European Journal of Tourism and Regional Development, 13(3), 118-129. https://doi.org/10.32725/det.2021.022
  
  Kucheran, T. (2020). Countries reopening their borders for tourism: The complete list. Travel off Path. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.traveloffpath.com/countries-reopening-their-borders-for-tourism-the-complete-list/#:~:text=Austria%20has%20officially
  %20reopened%20its%20borders%20to%20for,visit%20Austria%20without%20a
  %20quarantine%20period%20or%20testing.
  
  Kumar, J., Nazir, F., & Bayram, G. E. (2024). Pandemic management in the tourism industry: The role of government in mitigating COVID-19. In G. K. Bayram & A. Sharma (Eds.), Dynamics of the tourism industry (pp. 95-110). Apple Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003455431-7
  
  Kumar, J., Shagirbasha, S., & Konar, R. (2023). Destination image, COVID-19 perceived risk and intention to travel: Malaysian case. Academica Turistica-Tourism and Innovation Journal, 16(2), 221-232. https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.16.221-232
  
  Kumar, S., Shekhar, Valeri, M., & Sageena, G. (2022). Spiritual tourism transition: An ethos of hope during COVID-19 crisis from Indian perspectives. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Tourism risk (pp. 281-301). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-708-520221018
  
  Maldives Insider. (2020). Maldives guesthouses say coronavirus losses to reach $28.9 mln. Maldives Insider. https://maldives.net.mv/36197/maldives-guesthouses-say-coronavirus-losses-to-reach-28-9-mln/
  
  Menon, P. (2020, June 8). New Zealand says coronavirus ‘eliminated’ and life can resume without restrictions. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/new-zealand-coronavirus-eliminated-restrictions-covid19-jacinda-arden/
  
  Ministry of Economic Development. (2020). Rapid livelihood assessment: Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis in the Maldives. Republic of Maldives.
  
  Ministry of Tourism. (2020). Registered facilities. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.tourism.gov.mv/en/facilities/registered
  
  Napierała, T., Leśniewska-Napierała, K., & Burski, R. (2020). Impact of geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases on hotels’ performances: Case of Polish cities. Sustainability, 12(11), 4697. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114697
  
  Ong, M. (2020, July 23). Sabre’s APAC travel sentiment survey reveals 6 key findings that the travel industry can leverage for COVID-19 recovery. Sabre Asia Pacific. Retrieved from https://www.sabre.com/locations/apac/releases/sabres-apac-travel-sentiment-survey-reveals-6-key-findings-that-the-travel-industry-can-leverage-for-covid-19-recovery/
  
  Paul, M. (2020, March 25). COVID-19 crisis: Travel industry is worst-affected sector, stocks tank 70%. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbctv18.com/market/stocks/covid-19-crisis-travel-industry-is-worst-affected-sector-stocks-tank-70-5553601.htm
  
  Poulaki, P., Stavrakakis, I., Tarazonas, D., Vasilakis, N., & Valeri, M. (2022). Crisis management in tourism: COVID-19 pandemic in Greece. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Tourism risk (pp. 103-113). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-708-520221007
  
  Rehan, M. (2020). Over 100k tourist booking cancellations to Maldives. The Press. https://en.thepress.mv/10232
  
  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. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208599
  
  Schmid, L. G., Gugushvili, T., & Kohler, T. (2022). The rise of guesthouse tourism in the greater Caucasus and the effects of the Covid pandemic. The example of Lagodekhi Town and its Protected Area, Georgia. Erdkunde, 76(1), 41-58. https://doi.org/10.3112/erdkunde.2022.01.03
  
  Segal, H., Oaten, S., & Le Quesne, K. (2015). Adapting to uncertainty - The Global Hotel Industry. In The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report (Issue January, 2010). http://reports.weforum.org/travel-and-tourism-competitiveness-report-2015/chapter-1-2-adapting-to-uncertainty-the-global-hotel-industry/
  
  Sucheran, R. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic and guesthouses in South Africa: Economic impacts and recovery measures. Development Southern Africa, 39(1), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835x.2021.2003758
  
  Taherdoost, H. (2016). Sampling methods in research methodology; How to choose a sampling technique for research. SSRN Electronic Journal (April 10, 2016). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205035
  
  Thibedeau, H. (2020, May 26). Devastated by the pandemic, Canada’s hotels make plans to reopen. CBC. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pandemic-coronavirus-covid-hotels-1.5585215
  
  Travel Trade Maldives. (2019, December 21). UI Maldives wins Leading Guesthouse in Central Maldives at the Maldives Travel Awards 2019. Travel Trade Maldives. https://www.traveltrademaldives.com/ui-maldives-wins-leading-guesthouse-in-central-maldives-at-the-maldives-travel-awards-2019/
  
  UNWTO. (2020a). As tourism restarts, our responsibilities remain. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.unwto.org/news/as-tourism-restarts-our-responsibilities-remain
  
  UNWTO. (2020b). UNTWO World Tourism Barometer May 2020. Special focus on the Impact of COVID-19. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2020-05/Barometer%20-%20May%202020%20-%20Short.pdf
  
  UNWTO. (2020c). Restrictions on travel easing as Europe leads cautious restart of tourism. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.unwto.org/news/restrictions-on-travel-easing-as-europe-leads-cautious-restart-of-tourism
  
  UNWTO. (2020d). UNWTO launches global guideline to reopen tourism. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2020-05/200528-Global%20Recovery%20Guidelines%20EN.pdf
  
  Wen, J., Kozak, M., Yang, S., & Liu, F. (2020). COVID-19: Potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel. Tourism Review, 76(1), 74-87. https://doi.org/10.1108/tr-03-2020-0110
  
  Worldometer. (2020). COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
  
  World Bank Group. (2020). Rebuilding tourism competitiveness. Tourism response, recovery and resilience to the COVID-19 crisis. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/34348/Rebuilding-Tourism-Competitiveness-Tourism-response-recovery-and-resilience-to-the-COVID-19-crisis.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y
  
  World Health Organization. (2020). Health system response to COVID-19. World Health Organization, Maldives. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/maldives/hs-response-to-covid19-in-maldives-wco-june-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=eb72612a_2#:~:text=On%2012%20
  March%2C%20Maldives%20declared,has%20been%20extended%20since%20then.&text=
  As%20of%2010%20June%202020,deaths%20and
  %201%2C121%20have%20recovered.
  
  Zu, Z., Jiang, M., Xu, P., Chen, W., Ni, Q., Lu, G., & Zhang, L. (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019. (COVID-19): A perspective from China. Radiology, 296(2), E15-E25. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.2020200490