Human mobility, hospitality, and tourism industries: A perspective on catastrophes

The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a significant reduction in peoples’ movements, migration and trade at both local and global levels. Lockdowns and travel restrictions all over the world have led to a rapid retrenchment of the world’s hospitality and tourism sector. This is not new. Historically, catastrophes impacted human mobility. Drawing from the historical connections between catastrophes, especially health crises, this paper highlights the impacts of catastrophes on the hospitality and tourism industries. This research shows that the relationship between pandemic and tourism is turbulent, and it explores the implications of the current health crisis for the travel industry under the global containment stage