Exploring Impacts of a Health Crisis on Emotional Solidarity and Support for Tourism: Case of Mauritius

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis, destinations are facing the challenging task of reopening their borders while keeping resident population safe. Destination communities help to flatten the infection curve while tourists contribute to spread the virus. This chapter explores the impacts of a health crisis on stakeholders' emotional solidarity and support for tourism. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders. Findings show that informants who perceive socioeconomic tourism benefits are likely to support it in exchange for appropriate health measures. Others affected sociopsychologically by the pandemic feel negative emotional solidarity toward foreign tourists. Thus, delineating the role of a health crisis becomes a crucial research question that can contribute to academic understanding of support for tourism. As uncertainty over border reopening currently affects 24% countries worldwide, these findings can be relevant to policymakers.