Consequences of Covid-19 Pandemic on Hospitality Industry: The Nigeria Experience

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue I, January 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Consequences of Covid-19 Pandemic on Hospitality Industry: The Nigeria Experience

Mercy Busayo BELLO¹, Yekinni Ojo BELLO, PhD^.2
1Federal Polytechnic Auchi, School of Applied Sciences, Department of Hospitality Management
Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria
²University of Port Harcourt, Faculty of Management Sciences, Department of Hospitality Management and Tourism Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT
Purpose: The current study explores consequences of Covid-19 pandemic on Nigerian hospitality industry.
Research Methodology: The exploratory study reviewed various reports and literature to make insightful inferences.
Findings: The consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria hospitality industry include strain on the operations and revenue generation of the industry, steep decline in hotel occupancy rates and low customers’ turnover in other hospitality facilities, uncontainable job losses, and mass sales of hospitality business facilities.
Research Implications: By establishing the consequences of Covid-19 pandemic on Nigeria hospitality industry, this study offers an insight for the government of Nigeria to put in place business safety nets such as relief fund for hospitality business owners, and implementation of national tax relief policy to repositioning the sector for national prosperity. Aside, hospitality scholars are expected to shift their research focus to develop solutions for the industry. In addition, hospitality business owners in Nigeria should explore business innovative strategies to reach out to their prospective customers
Originality: This paper contributes to the literature that examined the impacts of Covid-19 crises on the hospitality industry in an emerging country with focus on Nigeria.

Keywords: Covid-19, Hospitality industry, Nigeria, Hotel, Restaurant.

INTRODUCTION

The novel Coronavirus pandemic otherwise known as COVID-19 has touched every nook and cranny of the globe with severe impacts on businesses and industry of nations. The causative agent of the outbreak was identified by the World Health Organization (2020) as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), producing the disease named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The virus is closely related (96.3%) to bat coronavirus RaTG13, based on phylogenetic analysis. Human-to-human transmission has been confirmed even from asymptomatic carriers. The disease is characterized by fever, dry cough, and chest pain with

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