Crises in tourism have become increasingly common. Yet, COVID-19 stands out as the most disruptive event, causing significant damages to the global economy, severely impacting the tourism sectors across the regions. Even though it has been five years since the crisis started, the pandemic’s influence on global tourism can still be noticeable. This study focuses on Polish tourism organisations with the purpose to explore in-depth the role of knowledge sharing processes and their usefulness in mitigating the effects of crisis in tourism.
Analysis of the case suggests that the organisation’s key role during a crisis was to serve as a knowledge broker. The analysed case indicates that different types of information and knowledge were significant during that period. For the industry, key knowledge concerned the information related to legislation and the proposed changes. For municipal and governmental level, quantitative data from tourist traffic was important. For tourists, a focus was put on navigating the restrictions. Given the numerous constraints imposed by the pandemics, the organisation adapted to the new reality by increasing its dependence on ICT systems. This includes the creation of a dedicated subpage, ongoing e-mail and newsletters communication, video chats with training, regular online team meetings and employees’ conversations via online chats.
This study is based on qualitative in-depth analysis and the semi-structured interviews with representatives of a local tourism organisation in Poland. This research employs a single case study design, focusing on the organisation as the unit of analysis.
This study contributes to the body of literature by expanding the understanding of the role of knowledge sharing processes within the context of the tourism crisis. It offers valuable insights for researchers exploring the application of knowledge management to crisis management.
Findings of this study deliver food for thought for both the academic community and tourism organisations eager to facilitate their operational activity during hazardous events. The results offer practical guidance for managers regarding the knowledge sharing practices on how to enhance the resilience and performance of their organisations during crisis, while simultaneously supporting the tourism industry.
Research output is limited to the analysis of a single organisation (illustrated through a case study example) and thus, the analysis presented may not fully capture the complexity of the entire sector. The organisation is operating in Poland, and this can additionally limit the usefulness of analysis to one country specifics.