Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism Industry in Bangladesh: Analysis of Current Situation and Suggested Strategies for the Future
The Hospitality and Tourism Sector (HTS) is one of the 15 major sectors that are used to estimate the GDP of the country. The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the economic activities that cater to non-essential demands such as the HTS. This study analyzes the current status of the HTS and identifies the probable impacts in terms of loss of sales and revenues, consequent retrenchment of workers, and/or reduced work hours/day of workers based on a comparison between the pre-COVID-19 and the-COVID-19-pandemic periods. Accordingly, the study attempted to assess the micro and sectoral impacts, albeit differential, of COVID-19 on the sector, from which a set of policy suggestions is derived for recovery of the sector in the post-pandemic environment.