Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism operations and resilience: stakeholders’ perspective in Sri Lanka

Purpose The tourism industry has been extensively affected by numerous disasters throughout its history including 30 decades of ethnic war, the tsunami disaster in 2004 and the Easter Sunday attack in 2019 substantially impacted the resources and capacities of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on Sri Lanka as a tourism destination and the tourism industry as a resilient sector of the economy. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study was conducted from July 2020 to September 2020 focusing on the perspectives of multi-level stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry in three distinct areas of Sri Lanka, namely, the coastal area, hill country and cultural triangle. The data were collected from 15 stakeholders via semistructured interviews. Convenience sampling method was used to choose the sample and thematic analysis was occupied to meet the study objectives. Findings This study will help to reframe the resources and capacities of the country as an emerging destination identifying the diverse credentials from the perspective of different stakeholders to embed the essential resilience after the pandemic. Research limitations/implications The prevailing lockdown situation and travel restrictions within the country was a huge challenge during the data collection process. Further to that, the respondents were reluctant to meet outsiders owing to the health threat, and hence some important stakeholders were missing from the study. Originality/value This study proposes effective measures to build up a robust destination, necessary strategic planning for policymakers and provisions for stakeholders in the industry to address the health and safety of travelers in the case of future potential health epidemics.