The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the life cycle of tourist destinations from tour operators and hoteliers' perspectives

Tan Kok Liang; Chan, Jennifer Kim Lian Article The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the life cycle of tourist destinations from tour operators and hoteliers' perspectives Global Business & Finance Review (GBFR) Provided in Cooperation with: People & Global Business Association (P&GBA), Seoul Suggested Citation: Tan Kok Liang; Chan, Jennifer Kim Lian (2024) : The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the life cycle of tourist destinations from tour operators and hoteliers' perspectives, Global Business & Finance Review (GBFR), ISSN 2384-1648, People & Global Business Association (P&GBA), Seoul, Vol. 29, Iss. 4, pp. 179-190, https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2024.29.4.179 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/305993 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented phenomenon that has significantly affected the tourism industry worldwide, triggering immense destruction Received: Feb. 4, 2024; Revised: Feb. 26, 2024; Accepted: Mar. 11, 2024 † Corresponding author: Jennifer Chan Kim Lian E-mail: [email protected] to the global economy (Isaa and Daukinb, 2022) due to widespread business disruptions and lockdowns enforced to comply with social-distancing measures (Abushammala, 2022). Restricted mobility has fostered feelings of insecurity, including fears of contagion and health-related concerns, leading to a reluctance among tourists and potential travelers to embark on journeys. As a result, tours and travels have plummeted by 80-90% in major global tourism cities (UNWTO, May 2020).It has affected various sectors GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW, Volume. 29 Issue. 4 (MAY 2024), 179-190 pISSN 1088-6931 / eISSN 2384-1648 Https://doi.org/10.17549/gbfr.2024.29.4.∣179 ⓒ2024 People and Global Business Association GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW www.gbfrjournal.org for financial sustainability and people-centered global business1) The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Life Cycle of Tourist Destinations from Tour Operators and Hoteliers' Perspectives Tan Kok Liang, Jennifer Chan Kim Lian † F aculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah A B S T R A C T Purpose: This study explores the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and tourist destinations by expanding the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model, thus providing a more comprehensive understanding of the pandemic's influence on destination and insights for developing effective revitalization strategies for tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a qualitative research approach, the study utilizes the TALC model to conduct qualitative interviews with tour operators and hoteliers, aiming to gather nuanced insights into the impacts of the pandemic on tourism destinations. Nine tour operators and four hoteliers participated in the online interviews. Data analysis was driven by the interview responses, and thematic analysis was guided by concepts of the COVID-19 pandemic impacts and the six stages of Butler's TALC model. Findings: Severe impact of the pandemic on tourism businesses, encompassing a decline in tourist arrivals, business closures, and substantial job and income loss. Tourist destination impacts can be classified into four distinct stages― stagnation, exploration, involvement, development, and consolidation providing a structured framework for inter―- preting the evolving dynamics of tourism destinations. Contextual issues and diverse approaches are suggested to revitalize tourist destinations in order remain attractive, competitive, and sustainable. Research limitations/implications: The restriction of the sample size to only two tourism sectors and generalizing findings due to the exploratory and qualitative nature of the research. Originality/value: It provides insightful of pandemic impacts on tourist destination and relevant strategies, drawing upon Butler's theory. The practical implications for destination management and stakeholder engagement are instrumental in shaping the development of effective destination management strategies. Keywords: Tourism Area Life Cycles, COVID-19 Pandemic, Malaysia, Tourism Destination, Rebuilding Strategies Copyright: The Author(s). This is an Open Access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution ⓒ N on-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution , and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW, Volume. 29 Issue. 4 (MAY 2024), 179-190 180 of tourism businesses at different magnitudes. Researchers worldwide have conducted in-depth studies on the effect of COVID-19 on tourism sectors (e.g., Sigala, 2020). Such studies have been conducted in the Malaysian context (Karim et al., 2020; Foo et al., 2021; Hamid et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2022; Chan, 2021). This literature indicates several rebuilding tourism strategies. Notably, open communication is key, and government-sponsored loans are crucial for the tourism industry's survival (Yeh, 2021). Ralinas et al. (2022) identified three recovery strategies for tourism businesses: improving hygiene and health standards, intensifying promotion, and controlling operational costs. Nevertheless, impact studies on tourist destinations are insufficient, especially regarding destination life cycles. Using the decline in tourist arrivals as the core indicator of impact level is inadequate for understanding destination scenarios and developing revitalization strategies. The pandemic has led to a decline in tourist arrivals, impacting tourism businesses and consequently affecting the growth and sustainability of the destination's life cycle stage. The TALC model is deemed relevant to understand pandemic phenomenon, facilitating strategies for rebuilding and revitalization tourism destination. Sound strategies can be proposed with the identified stages of the life cycle and are key to rebuilding and revitalizing the tourism destination. Butler's model provides a useful framework and descriptive tool regarding the destination's evolution and its markets (Cooper & Jackson, 1989). The model has successfully been applied to more than thirty country cases, for example Park (2006) investigated the marketing strategies for Jeju Island to extend the life cycle of each tourism segment; assess the progress and decline of ecotourism destinations in Western Canada (Boyd & Butler, 2006), China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Zhong et al., 2008), Niagara Falls (Getz, 1992) and destinations with multiple features (Hovinen, 2002). While time and temporal considerations are integral components in the model for determining changes or stages in destination development, it posits that the pandemic has reshaped and transformed tourist destinations at varying magnitudes. Indeed, Butler (2022) utilizes the TALC model as a framework to comprehend how the effects of the pandemic may manifest across different stages of destination development. Evidently, the magnitudes and significance of these impacts on destinations depend on the particular stage of the development cycle reached by each destination. This underscores the value of the TALC model in comprehending the stages of tourist destination development, aiding tourism planning stakeholders in assessing and deriving lessons from previous strategies. Additionally, the model enables predictions of a destination's future trajectory through various forecasting methods, empowering destination managers to mitigate declines. Undoubtedly, TALC research contributes to a deeper understanding of tourist destination development stages and assists stakeholders in evaluating and learning from past strategies, especially in the post-pandemic era. Hence, the paper suggests that the TALC model is a relevant and useful framework for understanding the pandemic's effects on tourism destinations and recovery planning. It is especially important to consider the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the post-COVID era and to prioritize sustainability and resilience in recovery strategies. It highlights the importance of balancing economic development with sustainability, providing essential details about the tourist destination's growth and underlining the need for destinations to adapt to changing market conditions. In addition, the TALC theory offers a valuable framework for elucidating the consequences of pandemics on destination landscapes, particularly in terms of the decline in tourist arrivals from the perspective of industry practitioners. This approach provides an insightful perspective on characterizing the evolving tourist destination landscape, moving beyond a mere focus on temporal factors and time frameworks. Thus, the paper examines the pandemic's impact by using the TALC model to describe the stages of the tourism destination from the tour operators and hoteliers' perspectives. This understanding is essential for post-pandemic development of the Tan Kok Liang, Jennifer Chan Kim Lian 181 tourism industry in relation to the destination's stages of development of Malaysian as tourism destination and proposing revitalization strategies. A. Research Objectives 1) To explores the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism business and tourist destination stages by extending the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model from the tour operators and hoteliers' perspectives. 2) To propose rebuilding strategies tailored to the identified stages of tourist destinations, which are derived from an analysis utilizing the TALC model. II. Literature Review A. Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Tourism Industry The tourism industry has been one of the most directly affected and hardest hit sectors worldwide in the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented event led to socio-political, economic, and tourism demand crises (Beh & Lin, 2021). It has brought significant impact on the community and tourism activities (Nordin et al., 2023); and developed a 'new norms' for workplace (Rahman et al., 2023) and for tourist destination. Tourist destinations are enduring most of the consequences; the unknown duration of the pandemic, travel restrictions and potential global economic recession have become major challenges. This process may vary in term of duration, as it is influenced by several factors. Thus, it has significantly affected city tourism destinations' economy, community lifestyle and destination environment, which impacts destination sustainability. Without good planning and controls, tourist destinations tend to decline over time in the quality of visitor experience (Plog, 2004). A tourism destination offers various business and leisure activities to cater to tourist needs. It has a complex relationship with the society, the economy, and the environment. These dimensions are important for the destination's sustainable growth; each contributes differently to the tourism business and economic landscape, which has been significantly adversely influenced by the pandemic in Malaysia (Chan et al., 2022). Tourist destinations can be conceptualized having different life cycles - birth, early growth, teenage years, maturity, and decline. This process may vary in term of duration, as it is influenced by several factors. The context of a tourist destination is critical, as it influences the post-pandemic recovery strategies to rebuild the tourism industry. B. Tourism Revitalization and Resilience Strategies The pandemic has had a profound impact on the tourism industry in Malaysia, resulting in significant declines in tourist arrivals, tourism revenue and job losses. The impacts have driven changes within destinations, thus influencing their 'evolution.' As a result, tourist destinations and business have had to rethink their strategies for rebuilding and recovery. Embracing holistic and adaptive strategies is paramount for tourism organizations to thrive amidst rapid environmental changes, as emphasized by Mohammad et al. (2022). The strategies implemented involved a combination of health and safety measures, diversification, innovation, and collaboration to adapt to the 'new normal' and regain traveller confidence. The post-pandemic situation remains uncertain for many tourism businesses. Thus, it is essential to develop immediate, short-term, and long-term responses. National Tourism's development plan sought to boost tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Recovery strategies should attend to segmentation and planning, integrating tourism into sustainable development and considering underlying causes (Goh, 2021). Open communication is key to successfully combatting the pandemic, and government-sponsored loans are crucial to the tourism industry's survival (Yeh, 2021). Three strategies are GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW, Volume. 29 Issue. 4 (MAY 2024), 179-190 182 improving hygiene and health standards, intensifying promotions, and controlling operational costs (Ralinas et al., 2022). The tourism industry can adjust to the 'new normal' following the pandemic by adopting such strategies (Assaf & Scuderi, 2020). Various practical measures have been considered to stimulate tourism demand and facilitate destination capacities to meet expectations (Van Huynh et al., 2022). Disruptive technological applications (e.g., travel apps) help tourists tailor a safe travel plan. A tourist destination is a geographical location that attracts visitors. The key components of a tourist destination are attractions, infrastructures, hospitality businesses, accessibility, amenities, safety, security, and environment. The magnitude of the pandemic's negative impact can be observed in the steep drop in tourist arrivals, tourism receipts and business closures as a result of travel bans, border closures and safety measures. Research investigating the pandemic's impacts on tourist destinations is important for developing recovery measures and strategies (Škare et al., 2021). Destination development processes are influenced by many factors, including tourist arrivals, tourism resources and the destination's condition. Tourist destinations, as the product, undergo an evolutionary process in response to changes not only in demand and supply but also to critical factors such as health and safety issues. It thus suggests that a new pattern is possible. Indeed, the life cycle concept is a useful analytical tool for destination stages (Choy, 1992). The post-pandemic recovery of the tourism industry requires insight into the stages of a destination; the TALC model is thus relevant. C. Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle and Tourist Destinations Butler (1980) introduced TALC to understand the how tourist destinations evolve and develop. It maps temporal changes in tourism destinations (Gore et al., 2021) and is thus a useful tool for tourism planners and developers to understand how tourist destinations can transform over time in response to the changing demands of the tourist industry. It is one of the most robust and widely used conceptual and managerial frameworks employed in tourism (Baum, 1998) and widely researched model in the tourism literature. The model describes the distinct stages that tourist destinations may go through in their development over time. The model has an 'S' shaped curve and is divided into six stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation and decline or rejuvenation. Butler (1980) pointed out that each stage is characterized by certain trends and challenges, providing a framework for understanding how a destination may evolve over time. Exploration is the first stage of the life cycle, characterized by small numbers of visitors who are attracted by the destination. The main challenge in this stage is to create awareness of the destination and attract more visitors. Involvement is the second stage, characterized by increasing numbers of visitors and the development of basic tourism infrastructure, including accommodation, restaurants, and transportation. The main challenge in this stage is to ensure that the growth of tourism is sustainable and does not harm the natural environment. Development is the third stage, characterized by rapid growth in visitors and development of more sophisticated tourism infrastructures, including luxury hotels, theme parks and other attractions. The main challenge is to manage the tourism growth, ensuring that the destination remains attractive to visitors. Essentially, tourism stabilises during the consolidation stage; destination managers can prolong the consolidation phase by developing better tourist facilities. The development stage could be strategically planned so that the benefits can be equally shared by the local community and the tourists. Consolidation is the fourth stage, with a mature industry with well-established infrastructure and a steady flow of visitors. It focuses on maintaining and improving quality. The destination may face challenges (e.g., overcapacity), address negative impacts and promote sustainable tourism. Stagnation is the fifth stage; the destination may experience a decline due to factors such as changing travel patterns or competition. The destination may need to adapt and Tan Kok Liang, Jennifer Chan Kim Lian 183 diversify to attract new visitors. This stage is characterized by reduced popularity, as economic, social, and cultural problems crop up. After this stage, the destination may decline, rejuvenate, or reposition itself by introducing a new market segment or new tourism product. Stagnation is the fifth stage; the destination may experience a decline due to factors such as changing travel patterns or competition. The destination may need to adapt and diversify to attract new visitors. This stage is characterized by reduced popularity, as economic, social, and cultural problems crop up. After this stage, the destination may decline, rejuvenate, or reposition itself by introducing a new market segment or new tourism product. Decline or rejuvenation is the final stage. The destination may continue to decline or undergo rejuvenation to revitalize the tourism industry. This may involve rebranding, developing new attractions or improving infrastructure. III. Methods This paper uses exploratory qualitative research to examine tourism destination development stages and the pandemic's impacts from tour operators' and hoteliers' perspectives. The qualitative inductive approach helps understand individual perspectives regarding the subjective, individualized, and contextual aspects of the pandemic's impacts. The respondents' opinions were collected through semi-structured interviews held online using Zoom; participants gave permission to be recorded during the interview session. Each interview lasted 60-90 minutes. Data collection was carried out with nine tour operators and four hoteliers in Malaysia from August 2021 to March 2022; and the duration on the impacts of the pandemic on tourist destinations spanned from January 2020 to March 2022. A convenience sampling technique using lists of tour operators and four hotels registered under the Malaysia Travel and Tour Association. Tour operators were chosen based on their presence in the top five tourist states (Sabah, Sarawak, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor), with a prerequisite of at least 10 years in inbound operations. Similarly, the selection of hoteliers was determined by considering the top five locations and a minimum of a four -star rating, coupled with a requirement of at least 10 years in operations. Key questions asked included the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tour business, strategies to revitalize tourism as well as their perception on the stages of Malaysia as a tourism destination based on Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC). A copy of TALC model was shared and clear explanation to all the respondents about six stages. Respondents were asked to indicate the relevant stage/s based on your professional inputs and experiences in tourism industry. Data analysis was driven by the interview responses, and thematic analysis was guided by concepts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the six stages of Butler's TALC model. Table 1 presents the respondent profile. Demographics Categories Number of respondents Tour Operators Gender Male Female 9 4 Age range 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Above 60 0 2 2 5 4 Type of tour business Inbound Inbound and ticketing All three (inbound, outbound, and ticketing) Hotel business 4 1 4 4 Location Sabah Kuala Lumpur Selangor Sarawak Pulau Pinang 4 3 2 2 2 Years in operation 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31to 40 41 to 50 51 to 60 1 3 1 2 3 3 Table 1. Respondent profile GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW, Volume. 29 Issue. 4 (MAY 2024), 179-190 184 IV. Profile of Respondents Nine tour operators and four hoteliers participated in the online interviews. The average age is 51-60 years and older. The majority are male. The average length of tourism business operation is 21-30 years. These tourism operators are from Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Sarawak followed by Pulau Penang. Four respondents operate inbound tourism business, four are involved in inbound, outbound and ticketing businesses and one is in inbound and ticketing business. V. Findings and Discussion A. Impacts of the Pandemic on Tourism Businesses Table 2 presents the four main themes that emerged from the interview responses on impacts of the pandemic on tourism businesses: severity, business operations, financial losses and reduction in staffing and compensation. The responses in Table 2 show that the pandemic was an unprecedented event that severely impacted tourism. The border closing meant that there were no arrivals, which affected the businesses' revenues No. Themes on the pandemic's impacts on tourism businesses Interview responses and respondents' explanation of themes (TO:Tour Operator, H: hotelier) 1 Very severe, unprecedented, unexpected TO1: We do not know how long the pandemic will last, very uncertain. TO2: The impacts are very, very severe, worse as compared to the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 one. TO3: Not sure how recovery would look like. TO6: Unexpected and unprecedented H1: Unprecedented, out of normal time. H2: Very damaging and very badly hit. 2 Business operations affected: border closure, zero business, no arrivals, new normal, work from home. TO4: Borders were closed, it was zero business, business drop to zero. TO2: All going down to zero; stop operation. TO3: Zero business since the pandemic. TO6: No business and is exceedingly difficult to maintain our operation. TO7: Our booking automatically went to zero as there were no arrivals. TO8: It a new change of operation, everyone works from home using technology; embrace technology. TO9: Shutting down business operation for the 27 months, border close, so nothing as we depend heavily on long haul business. H2: Border is close, no tourist. H3: Temporary close on the five hotels. H4 Many small hotels shut down; different impacts for different star rating hotels. 3 Financial impacts: revenue, cash flow, cost of maintenance, expenses TO7: Main impact of course would be on our financial status and to our staffing itself and no revenue coming. TO1: Huge financial losses, more than three million (RM) TO3: Impacted on our financial unbelievably bad and on our cash flow. TO4: It is difficult to cover the expenses. TO8: Revenue was down from 70 to 80%. H2: No sales, no financial, no cash flow, and then it hit our loans. H3: immediately introduce salary deduction of half pay across the board. 4 Human resources: reduced staffing, unpaid leave, retaining key staff. TO1: Dismissed our staff, pay at a less 50% for salary for those post critical positions. TO3: Keeping only core staff with unpaid leave of course. TO7: Reduce our staffing itself. H3: Retrenchment in 2021, let go 200 staff. H2: Salaries cut and staff reductio. Table 2. Themes regarding the pandemic's impact on tourism businesses Tan Kok Liang, Jennifer Chan Kim Lian 185 and profits. They were forced to downsize or close. Both the tour operators and hoteliers suffered significant financial losses, faced cash flow problems and were unable to sustain maintenance costs and business expenses. From their perspectives, the pandemic was extremely detrimental for the industry in Malaysia and worldwide. Impacts of COVID-19 can be associates with a disaster and an unprecedented event. The hoteliers are very badly hit during the pandemic since they were no tourist or visitors coming in the country as the borders were closed. It is also very damaging, which has lead to different levels of financial impacts and operational impacts. Some believe that the business were almost down to corrupt. The resulting massive financial losses led to downsizing in staffing and a new work environment: working from home (see Assaf & Scuderi, 2020). Because COVID-19 is health hazard, it has changed the way tourism businesses operate. The consequent 'new normal' requires adaptability. As TO8 stated, the 'new normal' relates to the application of digitization. Respondents' dependent on technology are fortunate enough to work from home and sustain their business. However, tour companies depending on long-haul business were affected seriously due to international border closures, as TO9 pointed out. For the hotel sector, salaries were to cut off, staff reduction, temporary closure, were among the actions taken to stay afloat in the business. H4 believes that there is a different impact towards different hotel star rating system. These findings correspond well to past studies on the pandemic's impacts on the tourism industry worldwide, which document declines in tourist arrivals in tourism-dependent countries and adverse effects on revenue, profitability, and sustainability. Chan et al. (2022) show that the pandemic resulted in business interruptions and revenue losses for tourism industry service providers. Foo et al. (2021) also confirmed that the pandemic significantly impacted tourism business personnel. B. The Impacts of the Pandemic on Malaysia's Destination Life Cycle Table 3 presents the interview responses on the four tourist destination stages of stagnation, exploration, involvement, and development. The responses reveal that tour operators perceived Malaysia as a tourism destination as being in the stagnation stage, followed by involvement, exploration, and development. However, the hoteliers perceived tourism destination as being in stagnation, involvement, and consolidation. The stagnation stage is based on the decline of tourist arrivals due to border closures, movement control orders and health and safety issues. The involvement stage implies the need for tourism stakeholders and government agencies to rebuild the industry, especially to increase tourist arrivals with adequate infrastructures. Respondents believe that Malaysia as tourist destination is in the involvement stage because tourism recovery is slow, requiring involvement from both private and public sectors; tourism stakeholder involvement and cooperation are crucial in the early stage of recovery to rebuild. The numerous subsectors of tourism businesses must be involved to revive the tourism destination, increasing visitors, and developing basic tourism infrastructure. Respondents also described Malaysia tourist destination as in the exploration stage, as the pandemic has created a new tourism business landscape and environment. Work and travel behaviours will be different; there is uncertainty in the existing market segments. Hence, the destination will need to explore new attractions and market segments, creating awareness of the destination to attract more visitors. Simply, the pandemic has drastically transformed the tourism business landscape. Innovative approaches are thus required to revive tourism, especially regarding the country's infrastructure. TO3 used Sabah as an example of a tourism location that prioritizes the environment but has inadequate infrastructure. The existing infrastructure cannot accommodate large numbers of tourists and lacks sufficient access to clean water, electricity, and waste disposal. TO4 and TO9 perceived Malaysia as in both the exploration GLOBAL BUSINESS & FINANCE REVIEW, Volume. 29 Issue. 4 (MAY 2024), 179-190 186 and development stage, resulting from the pandemic. They expressed the need to explore novel approaches to create appealing tourism products for different targeted market segments, ensuring that Malaysia remains a popular destination for both domestic and international visitors; tourism associations should collaborate with the government to develop new products and promote destinations in Malaysia. Many of the tour operators and hoteliers regarded Malaysia as a tourist destination at the stagnation stage, with a high possibility of regeneration. Malaysia's tourist arrival performance is far below those of neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia, especially in reference to Malaysia's performance before the pandemic. There is a lack of clear direction to bring Malaysia as a tourist destination to greater heights, which is why there is stagnation in terms of competition and markets. The stagnation stage indicates few or no tourist arrivals due to the pandemic, with competition leading to the destination falling behind neighbouring destinations. The involvement stage refers to stakeholders and government agencies rebuilding the tourist destination, especially sufficient infrastructure. The exploration stage implies that the destination faces recent changes due to the pandemic. Thus, tourism stakeholders must explore innovative approaches and create appealing products for different market segments. The development stage implies that the destination will eventually move towards sustainable growth, so it is vital to ensure that it remains attractive to visitors and experiences sustainable growth while benefiting the local community. Interestingly, the findings from hoteliers show that Themes: TALC stages Interview responses / respondents' explanation of themes Proposed approaches to revitalize the destination life cycle Stagnation TO2: Malaysia has reached a stagnation level, come to a decrease in terms of performance. TO5: Malaysia is a matured destination, people know Malaysia. TO6: We cannot stay in the stagnant stage or decline stage H1: In the stagnant stage. - Rejuvenate or reposition the destination by introducing a new market segment and new tourism products. - Increase the tourist arrivals and diversify tourist attractions. - Develop innovative marketing and promotion strategies. Involvement TO1: we are somewhere here in involvement; recover y is slow and need to do promotion. TO3: We are at involvement stage; an incredibly early stage. TO4: We need to involve and to get things ready, enough infrastructure for tourist arrivals. TO5: Government involvement is essential. H2: We should be in the involvement. - Increase awareness of destination attractions. - All tourism players and related government agencies need to get involved to rebuild the tourism industry and ensure that the growth of tourism is sustainable and does not harm the natural environment. Exploration TO3: At exploration stage, time to restart this whole thing, re-look into my infrastructure, different product, and segment. TO4: Should be exploration and to explore. Uncertain and keep changing. TO9: Need to explore new markets as the mass market countries are yet to not reopen; at exploration stage in this new normal with uncertainty environment created by pandemic. - Create awareness of the destination and attract more visitors. - Explore new markets and rebrand the destination. Development TO4: At the development stage as we cannot stop and need to get things ready. TO9: Development stage as we are not ready yet - Manage the growth of tourism and ensure that the destination remains attractive to visitors. Consolidation H3: it's still under consolidation. H4: we really need to consolidate things. N eed to engage all tourism players together, cannot be a one person moving forward. Table 3. Themes regarding Malaysia's TALC stages