COVID-19 Impact: Challenges in Tourism & Employee Retention in Dubai

This dissertation examines the challenges faced by the tourism industry in retaining employees after the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the Dubai context. It analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector, including decreased tourist arrivals, job losses, and economic decline. The research explores key issues such as employee well-being, the adoption of digital HR processes, remote working challenges, and talent acquisition difficulties. It highlights the importance of HR strategies in addressing these challenges, including prioritizing employee health and safety, providing training and development opportunities, and fostering a supportive work environment. The dissertation also identifies opportunities for the tourism sector to recover and thrive post-pandemic, such as leveraging digital transformation, capitalizing on pent-up travel demand, and building a more resilient and adaptable workforce. The study concludes with recommendations for tourism organizations to enhance employee retention and ensure long-term sustainability.

Dissertation

Table of Contents
Dissertation hypothesis...................................................................................4
Presentation and findings............................................................................4
Interpretation...............................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................27
Recommendations:....................................................................................29
References ....................................................................................................32
Books and journals:....................................................................................32

Dissertation hypothesis
The research project aims to analyze the challenges facing by tourism industry in retaining
employees after the pandemic of covid-19. As the scenario globally affected various businesses
in the whole world. This research will provide an optimistic and deletion of the whole country
environment of Dubai in terms of the tourism challenges for job opportunities, employee well-
being and other HR practices(Marchant-Forde, and Boyle, 2020). This topic is quite interesting
as well as knowledge full to gain insight about what happening around the world and how this
covid-19 hits the life of job seekers. The researcher desires to gain full understanding about
future situation of job opportunities so to make on completion of own objective after completing
graduation. Due to serious cause of diseases spread through corona virus, some employees get
isolated and not in condition to work. So that this tourism industry getting highly affected and
facing challenges which is required to know before being a part of it (Afifi, and Negm, 2020).
This dissertation will be on Clear finding of strategic approaches and intervention programs in
order to put tourism a back on the track for Dubai. Therefore, the researcher found the topic
helpful for analyzing the HR role in making innovative strategies for fulfilling their aim of being
an HR manager. The topic covers all the interventions and challenges of tourism in Dubai at it
becomes a most versatile place for tourist but now the covid-19 has become a threat for UAE. It
provides understanding of adopting new and modern ways for retaining employees to serve a
better future for tourism industry.
Presentation and findings
The research has provided some valuable facts and information about the tourism sector which is
taking undergrowth due to covid-19 challenges. The first foremost challenge is to treat the
people of tourism sector which is highly necessary for this industry, it is believe in making
customer relations and providing an effective service which are all in hand of the employees and
their effort will pay in hard work. As per the experts’ analysis, covid-19 severely impacts the
inbound and outbound tourism in 2020 (Bull, and Robles Rivera, 2020). It has found that
according to number of tourist arrival as well as employee job opportunities, Dubai was known
for providing immense number of jumps to the people belongs from different country. Dubai was
the largest tourist maker net is around 22 million visitors was found in 2020. Also it has seen

that, this growth of tourism in UAE has created a positive impact on economic contribution and
GDP increment. The research shows that tourism came to a decline stage from 20 % in 2020
(Arshad, 2020). As the inbound trips include air, land, rail, business and water leisure arrivals.
The last record of 2019 shows 17732 arrivals in leisure but this number goes into decline stage
and remains 5775. Similarly, all the inbound arrivals faced this decline with 50% off loss of
tourism industry. The research has found an appropriate fem-fem work to analyses industry
growth and understands the impact of pandemic and overall tourism industry. The main factors
which contribute in the success of tourism even in the time of pandemic are the resilience and
marketing strategies with maintain customer’s arrival and profit maximization. Also the new
market and short distances travel were also intending due to several restrictions and foundation
of travelling world so that people refer to roam around nearby cities. This short distances travel
all so make up good profit for tourism sector in Dubai. Whereas, the weakness of tourism is that
it becomes less care for people to take travel and come in contact with people at the time of
pandemic. Closing International borders and tour in overseas what in lockdown that results in
decreasing the demand for industry(Bodolica, Spraggon, and Khaddage-Soboh, 2021). The
reason behind this lockdown for international travel is to make people away from others and
prefer to take home so that the safest people will not get in risk of corona virus. It creates impact
of losing job and income for tourist sector employees which also become a hurdle for
contributing in countries GDP. If talk about the objective of research is mainly based on
employee well-being HR digital process remote working, talent acquisition and opportunities for
overcoming challenges are all the objectives which has covered into the research. In which,
employee well being all about emotional psychological and social well-being which an employee
faced during working in an organization. The employees must be filled free and acts full while
delivering their service and handle their stress is all or tourism industry is about. In order to
fulfill this objective, the research has presented some serious fact about the causes of mental
stress and is it in individual which led to result in suicidal cases. Quarantine was a time in which
people took this step with the afraid of losing jobs, no money for livelihood, work pressure and
other kinds of mental pressure, Insomnia and depression has seen among individuals. Due to the
first promise of covid-19 , tourism industry organizations facing a rapid decline in retaining
employees and providing them sufficient work environment due to the industry practices of
travelling and meeting people. Employees found the satisfaction as they did not get family

support, work from home and physical contact with their friends and relatives. This lead to
severely harm the reputation of tourism industry. The key concern find out through the analysis
are digital process of HR manager in order to adapt digital transformation into the industry. As, it
has seen that undertaking digital growth and online selling is quite beneficial for much
organization during the pandemic. People find convincible deliveries and good at the doorstep
which make them safe and under the precautions of covid-19. But in tourism sector digital
process is become a need to provide work from home remote working and state forward
processing to find and except the technology at any location. Therefore, the digital process of HR
requires digital booking payment of Central System methods and hi contacts of very and
problems of customer at very frequent level. This is also become a major challenge for tourism
sector to be frequent in Technologies and HRM efficiency in order to work in complex
environment and competition. These technologies are helpful for the employees as well as
customers. Employees will need to provide better training to cope up with the technology which
is under the practice of HR. So that the objective contain a high requirement in tourism industry
mainly seen in Dubai.
To the finding of the objective to promote remote working is relative Lee on an average
percentage of 44%. In tourism sector, during covid-19 this many employees worked remotely.
By working through these terms the tourism sector relatively find a decline in employee
productivity and create negative impact on organization proficiency. As it is not necessary that
every worker will take the opportunities responsibility and work criteria in the same way of an
effective employee. So that it become difficult to work remotely is no longer survival for tourism
sector as the industry mainly involved attending customers, maintaining eye contact and see
them priority at Hotel . this work could not be done through work from home. Employees would
not maintain the Bond of work and relations with customers as well as their peers which
becomes a challenge for involving coordination among the hotel premises. These travel industry
provide job opportunities for those who are in isolation and engage in some work which will
reduce their stress out (Hidayat, Rafiki, and Nasution, 2021). This is a great step of tourism
sector to build their presence among society. These all are depend on HR Strategies and human
resource policies to make effective working which satisfy their employees as well as society to
maintain positive image. All this remote working criteria is not suitable for mainly hotels, resorts
and restaurants who require sufficient labor to carry out day to day work. this would only

possible for technical department who look out on digital platforms and work for customer care.
The current findings put emphasis on talent acquisition is become a challenge for many of
organization. Every sector require realistic and capable employees who could carry out the
operations effectively within a minimum salary (Zheng, nd 2021). Therefore finding right
talent in right wages is not easy task for tourism sector. As it goes down words into their
profitability so many of sector is not able to pay a high salaries to find the most appropriate
talent. Also during covid-19, many employees anonymously are not ready to work due to higher
seriousness of corona virus. As it is found that 30% of business and travelling sector stop the
hiring process due to inefficient productivity. 17% of making reduction in existing employee
workforce. So that, making talented employees their priority is being the most challenging task
for today. As these talented employees could be the future of hotels which others haven't
performed yet (Hijazi Obeid, and Medlej, 2020). Acquisition of talent is necessary for every
Organization in order to maintain economy to provide job opportunities and contribute in
society. Holding back on acquiring talent is not the right way to perform business practices
which could impact negatively on the sector.
The finding has constructed many key areas about the opportunities and challenges travel
industry by focusing on current global environment. It has seen that, the people would not get
dresses of entertainment and refreshment which somehow can back relative earlier for tourism
sector other than any other organization. People are ready to travel as soon as the pandemic get
end so that it would be the opportunity for tourism sector to be prepare for taking advantage of
immense customer arrival by providing the required facilities at best prices(Wut, Xu, and Wong,
2021). This would lead to generate more competitive image and customers will maintain their
loyalty and trust over hotel. They need to come up with more sufficient training programs for
employee’s retention as well as making them satisfied. Employees well-being is the main priority
for tourism so it is required to build up Strategies and policies which could be beneficial for both,
in order to assist the advantage of competition as well as overcoming with threat it has analyzed
that there are a number of HR practices that require prompt implementation on organisation that
includes concerns regarding health and safety, professional well being education and training
about health causes and risk uncertainty (Rao, and Krantz, 2020). Some the opportunity is
discussed in the dissertation, the most effective one is to keep the employees coordinated and
motivated towards organization. This could only be possible by maintain a formal as well as

informal relation by making them energized and giving a healthy environment for working
(Norouzi, 2021). The tourism sector needs to take appropriate care of their workers by giving
them expert advice, good place and making the immune system well. As, tourism sector mainly
consists employees who belong to overseas are Different cities who cannot drive off to their
families in to pandemic, so it is necessary to make good communication with these employees
and try to motivate which together efforts (Bakir, 2020). With the emphasis on digital
transformation, the organization would enable easy business solutions. It took certain time to get
familiar with all the technology but at one day employees will feel pledge to be a part of such a
model of organization that would give a such a modern of organization that would give them
reason to stay for long time (Siddiqui, 2020). Training and practices is a one-way solution for
overcoming with the challenges in retention of employees. The more Hotels will treat their
employees with due respect and proper configuration the more employees will feel valued and
dedicated.
Interpretation
1. During pandemic, employees’ health and
happiness was the highest priority
FREQUENCY
Never 5
Rarely 10
Sometimes 5
Often 15
Always 5
It has interpreted that during pandemic employees health and happiness was highest priority for
15 respondents in which 10 are rarely put emphasis on this topic other five go for sometime the
rest 5 are never put everything on employees health well-being.

2 The concerns about challenges the employees faced
during COVID-19 was addressed
FREQUENCY
Never 0
Rarely 10
Sometimes 15
Often 10
Always 5
The covid-19 challenges has been addressed by 5 respondents always and 10 were often indulge
in providing concern where is other 10 was really taking concern.

3 The employees felt comfortable about sharing their
fears about the pandemic
FREQUENCY
Never 10
Rarely 5
Sometimes 10
Often 10
Always 5
The employees never felt comfortable as per the answer of 10 respondents. The Other 20
respondents analyse employees comfort sometimes and quite often also. Whereas five
respondents are always noticed employees comfort.

4 The response to COVID-19 has reduced the
employees’ anxiety
FREQUENCY
Never 0
Rarely 5
Sometimes 10
Often 15
Always 10
The response of covid-19 reduced the employer is it as per 15 respondents at an open face and 10
respondents a short that it always work. Whereas, other 15 are really or sometimes feel reduction
in society. Which require more often and effective response over covid-19.

5 Innovative well-being practices has been
implemented during COVID
FREQUENCY
Never 5
Rarely 5
Sometimes 15
Often 10
Always 15
The innovative wellbeing practices and never been implemented during covid-19 as per five
respondents. Other five are really indulge into innovative criteria. Whereas, 15 respondents agree
with innovative practices are always implemented into their organisation. So that, other
respondents also need to focus on being innovative.