Tourism is One of the Most Affected Sectors by the COVID 19 Pandemic (Essay Sample)

Tourism is One of the Most Affected Sectors by the COVID 19 Pandemic

Globally, tourism is one of the most affected sectors by the COVID 19 pandemic. Among the different niches in the sector, festival tourism is one of the most adversely affected by the pandemic, especially the measures put in place by different governments to curb the spread of the virus. Particularly in Kamloops, where festival tourism is known to thrive due to the yearly events, such as tournaments and cultural functions, COVID 19 pandemic effects were enormous and negatively impacted the tourism sector. The effects were felt by each of the major groups in the sector, including the tourists, the host communities, and the tourism industry. This paper focuses on the safety and security issues related to the pandemic and their effects on the tourists attracted by the festivals held in Kamloops. Specifically, the study explains how the pandemic has become a concern for the tourists’ safety and security in festival tourism in Kamloops.
Festive Industry in Kamloops and COVID 19
The City of Kamloops is located in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The city is also known as Canada’s Tournaments Capital as it hosts various tournaments and international and national competitions (Westcott et al., 2019). Kamloops also hosts numerous events that attract local and foreign tourists and contribute to its festival tourism development. Festival tourism includes cultural events, festivals such as heritage and music, sports events, education events, and community celebrations. Kamloops hosts most of these events, such as Oktoberfest, Tofino food and wine festival, Salmon Arm roots and blues festival, BC summer games, and Canada Day celebrations, among others (Whistler Centre for Sustainability & Tourism Kamloops, 2016). Therefore, festival tourism is a major tourism niche in the city and contributes greatly to its growth and development.
The rise of the COVID 19 pandemic negatively influenced festival events in Kamloops and globally. Specifically, there was fear of being infected with the virus whose information was unknown back then. The most effective way of handling the virus was by minimizing its spread which saw many governments uphold various measures to ensure it does not spread. Particularly, in Kamloops, the call to avoid gatherings and keep distance from one another made it impossible to hold the events, with most of them being canceled (Let’s Talk Kamloops, 2020). Additionally, various lockdown orders prevented most tourists from traveling from their countries to Kamloops. Most events would not be held physically but turned virtual during the pandemic, while others could not be held at all. The pandemic posed various concerns on the tourists’ safety and security while attending festival events.
The Safety and Security Concerns Raised by COVID 19 on Festival Tourists
The main safety concern of the pandemic for tourists in Kamloops was the high chances of being infected with the virus. According to Holland et al. (2021), fear of being infected by the virus is a security concern imposed by the pandemic that made tourists rethink their travel to various destinations. Holding events involves bringing people together with which it is difficult to maintain the required distance and avoid gatherings as guided by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO had instructed nations to restrict gatherings and encourage people to keep their distance from one another to minimize the spread of the virus (Mohanty et al., 2020). In such cases, tourists would not be interested in participating in the festival events out of fear of being infected with the virus as the chances were high. The tourists were also bothered by the travel restrictions such as the forced quarantine when one traveled to certain destinations. However, with the vaccine, which has helped drop the infection rates in most areas, festival tourism in Kamloops is likely to develop once again and recover from the pandemic.