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Measuring resilience of the tourism sector: Reflective Resilience Index (REFLEX) approach

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  • Lee, Seonjin
  • Pennington-Gray, Lori

Abstract

Resilience has emerged as a critical focus in tourism studies, but the literature on tourism resilience is still embryonic and largely conceptual. This study presents a novel approach that is designed for pre-event assessment of tourism sector resilience. We tested the index by predicting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on South Korean and US domestic tourism. Tourism sectors with diversified and balanced demand experienced a greater disruption. Nonetheless, these destinations were able to recover quickly and attract more tourists after recovery. The findings demonstrate that the index captures the responsiveness of the tourism sector. With high versatility and low data requirements, our resilience assessment tool offers opportunity to advance our understanding of tourism resilience and inform policy decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Seonjin & Pennington-Gray, Lori, 2025. "Measuring resilience of the tourism sector: Reflective Resilience Index (REFLEX) approach," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:114:y:2025:i:c:s0160738325000891
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2025.103983
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    References listed on IDEAS

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