Search results

This paper reviews the challenging trends in the tourism sector of the UAE brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. In so doing, it highlights a radical shift in the consumption of travel products and the related marketing strategies that tourism enterprises could adopt.

The study aims to discern the ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic for the tourism sector of the UAE by conducting a thematic review of the contextual literature. It highlights how tourism businesses can employ transformative strategies to revive the sector.

The outcomes reveal that tourism businesses are finding it difficult to respond to the needs of customers in settings where physical distance is a reality. Given this, the study reveals the importance of digital technology in building a relationship between the supplier and the customer. Businesses can leverage virtual reality to provide enriching experiences to prospective customers and in so doing, influence their tourism product choices. Further, there is a need to co-create values wherein the final tourism product is beneficial to both the supplier in terms of profit margin and within the scope of the customer's willingness to pay.

This review highlights that there are both demand and supply-side shocks in delivering tourism products in the post Covid-19 era. It also considers the key socio-economic factors that need to be accounted for when designing tourism products.

In 2009, Malaysia saw a unique approach to public service improvement. The National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) was designed to enhance governmental performance by breaking down silos across ministries so that resources could be pooled and a leap in value of service is secured. This paper aims to examine the extent to which the NBOS has catalysed inter-agency collaboration and delivered improvements to public services.

The study adopts a qualitative approach drawing on data collected through semi-structured individual interviews with key informants complemented with information from other sources. The interview evidence has been triangulated with those obtained through group discussions, personal observations and review of official records and publications.

The paper shows that despite some teething problems, the NBOS has performed commendably. It has made notable inroads in promoting cross-agency collaboration, demonstrating evidence of improved service delivery and cost savings for the government. In short, it has produced results in areas where previous reforms have performed poorly.

The paper adds to the limited literature on collaborative management in developing countries. The Malaysian experience suggests that leadership and commitment at the highest level, an effective governance structure, participation of key actors at various stages and a blend of top-down and bottom-up approaches to project development and management are among the critical success factors for a collaborative approach.