Tourism & hospitality sector severely hit by COVID-19

DUBAI, April 4: OMNES Media (www.omnesmedia.com), the leading digital media and marketing platform, has revealed the findings of its recent survey seeking public opinion on the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the different sectors of the industry. The survey was conducted among people from various walks of life.

According to the survey findings, 53% of the persons participated believed that the repercussions of COVID-19 were more severe on tourism and hospitality sector, 27% opined aviation and transportation as the most affected sector, while 11% went with the MICE industry, 5% with the banking sector, and 4% for the energy sector. On the impact of the pandemic on business performance, 53% of the respondents said the effect of the virus was significant on their work, compared to 14% who denied any such implications and 32% said the impact is partial on the business.

OMNES Media found out that the highly adverse impact on tourism, hospitality and travel sector is the result of the panic created by COVID-19 in various countries due to social distancing and ban imposed on travel. The survey also showed that 74% of the participants showed no interest to travel till the situation improves. But 25% expressed their willingness to travel for business purposes to corona safe destinations. 1% said they are ready to travel anytime to any place.

When asked about the pros and cons of working from home, 58% of the participants opined that they can complete their work from home, but 30% felt the need to be present in the workplace occasionally, and 11% said their presence in the workplace is necessary to accomplish their daily job duties.

Regarding the media coverage 13% of the respondents felt that the news coverage of the pandemic was exaggerated, while 43% showed dissatisfaction with the traditional media for lack of information, compared to 30% who believed that the coverage was fair and fulfilling. 14% said they do not follow traditional media at all.

Asked about the reliable source of news coverage of their choice for COVID-19 updates, 75% of the people surveyed said they prefer global news networks, 16% were with social media networks, while local TV channels were the preferred option for 9% of the respondents.

The survey covered about 1,000 people of different nationalities from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United States, India, Iran and Pakistan, with a male and female participation rate of 62% and 38% respectively. Participation based on age group was 86% for the 20-30 age group,16% for 31-40, 5% for 4150, and 11% for 51 and above.