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COVID-19 impact and survival strategy in business tourism market: the example of the UAE MICE industry

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  • Asad A. Aburumman

    (University of Sharjah)

Abstract

Today the industry of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, commonly known under the name of MICE, contributes to economic diversification and actively stimulates the rational use of cultural-historical and natural recreational resources. As of 2019, the total contribution of the tourism sector to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) equalled 11.5 per cent. More than 2.3 million visitors cited business as their main purpose of travel to Dubai in 2019, marking a two per cent increase compared to 2018. Thus, the UAE MICE industry was among the global leaders before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. As a result of severe quarantine measures, the majority of destinations all over the world introduced COVID-19-related travel restrictions that were valid until May 2020. In the UAE, like in any other country, the coronavirus pandemic affected every industry, and especially the MICE one. Even though the consequences of COVID-19 have been multiply analysed by many UAE researchers, its global and local impact on the MICE industry, as well as the strategies for MICE companies’ survival, are described insufficiently. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 impact on both the global and the UAE MICE markets and identify a competitive survival strategy for tourism companies on the example of those operating in the UAE. The research revealed that under the conditions of harsh travel restrictions and closed borders, the UAE MICE industry is faced with a sharp reduction of demand. Emirati Airlines, hotels, and other tourism-related businesses have experienced significant material losses. In particular, the drop in scheduled departure flights comprised 82%. The multiplicative analysis performed in the course of the study identified the 5P marketing strategy and an outsourcing method as an optimal solution for MICE companies’ survival and recovery. The study results can be used by MICE businesses or researchers using specific company and market data for developing strategies aimed at overcoming COVID-related crisis and increasing the competitiveness of MICE companies in particular and the market as a whole.

Suggested Citation

  • Asad A. Aburumman, 2020. "COVID-19 impact and survival strategy in business tourism market: the example of the UAE MICE industry," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:7:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-020-00630-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-020-00630-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. BUCUR Amelia, 2021. "A Differential Equation For The Entropy Of Rural Tourism In The Context Of Covid-19," Management of Sustainable Development, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 13(1), pages 4-8, June.
    3. Roberto Martín-González & Kamilla Swart & Ana-María Luque-Gil, 2021. "Tourism Competitiveness and Sustainability Indicators in the Context of Surf Tourism: The Case of Cape Town," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-22, June.
    4. Soyeun (Olivia) Lee & JooHyang Kim & Heesup Han, 2023. "Family tourism development in the new era of tourism: Korean tourists’ domestic trip preferences for accommodation, travel duration, destination, and natural environment," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Marinko Skare & Domingo Riberio Soriano, 2022. "Explaining COVID-19 shock wave mechanism in the European service industry using convergence clubs analysis," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(2), pages 283-307, June.
    6. Tariq Hassan & Emil Papazov & Lyudmila Mihaylova, 2021. "Strategic Aspects of Tourism Development in UAE," Izvestia Journal of the Union of Scientists - Varna. Economic Sciences Series, Union of Scientists - Varna, Economic Sciences Section, vol. 10(3), pages 136-144, December.
    7. Hsiao-Hsien Lin & I-Cheng Hsu & Tzu-Yun Lin & Le-Ming Tung & Ying Ling, 2022. "After the Epidemic, Is the Smart Traffic Management System a Key Factor in Creating a Green Leisure and Tourism Environment in the Move towards Sustainable Urban Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-22, March.

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