MARKETING AND BUSINESS STRATEGY FOR SMES IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN INDONESIA

• Main Author: Ghossan, Geraldi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/68166
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

In Wuhan, China, COVID-19 was first identified as pneumonia with an unknown origin. In March 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. Many nations have responded to this by implementing border closures, lockdowns, and social segregation programs. As a result, the world economy has suffered, particularly the hospitality and tourism sectors, requiring businesses, especially marketing departments, to come up with more effective and efficient strategies to cope with the issue. The speed of change in the business world, where marketers currently work, is startling. The amount of time, money, and media attention focused on this, together with the enormous change and challenge the entire world community has faced in recent months, is astounding. The state of the international economy is dire, to put it mildly, with many companies on the edge of failing due to pressure. An emergency or crisis is a high-pressure situation that arises out of nowhere and has a substantial impact on company continuity. Natural catastrophes or epidemics, political conflicts, economic volatility, and other factors can all have an influence on the tourist industry. It is possible that by causing difficulty, the hotel and other tourism firms will lose tourists at any time. Businesses may consider developing new business and marketing strategies. Managers must select the best appropriate solution for the problem because this crisis is unique. Strategic control allows for effective crisis management. Crises may be converted into opportunities by employing clever strategic management, especially in terms of their business and marketing strategy. Many hotel businesses in Indonesia have had to revaluate their marketing strategy as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. Currently a major issue on a global scale, COVID-19 has affected several marketing strategies. This virus has affected a number of businesses, organizations, firms, and local marketplaces through its marketing efforts. The Covid-19 outbreak has led to the majority of nations making the decision to impose border restrictions and halt aviation travel. Visitors may also gain a fresh understanding of the difficulties in managing travel risk and the reasons why they avoid going to unsafe places. Due to these factors, SMEs in the hospitality industry in Indonesia used crisis marketing techniques to adjust their marketing and business strategies to the new COVID-19 pandemic conditions. For example, they had to make sure that their marketing strategy's objective was once again to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. Another method that "Moving Everything Online" helps SMEs survive the COVID-19 pandemic is by doing so. As a result, this research will explore and examine the effects of COVID-19 on digital marketing, social media marketing, and advertisements. Advertising and marketing methods have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced firms to fundamentally change their approach in order to deal with this new, deadly ailment and survive. In this study, information distribution channels such as periodicals, news, and social media are used to discover the elements that impact Indonesia's tourist sector, which may then be applied to adjust businesses' marketing strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic era.